Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

Vegan moms can breastfeed their children and not worry that their breast milk is missing essential nutrients, a new study finds. Researchers from Amsterdam University Medical Center in the Netherlands tested the milk of vegan mothers, finding it contains sufficient levels of vitamin B2 and carnitine. “The maternal diet greatly influences the nutritional composition of human milk, which is important for child development. With the rise of vegan diets worldwide, also by lactating mothers, there are concerns about the nutritional adequacy of their milk,” said lead researcher Dr. Hannah Juncker. “Therefore, it would be important to know if the milk concentrations of those nutrients are different in lactating women consuming a vegan diet,” she added in a medical center news release. Vegan diets are limited to plant-based foods. This type of eating includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, soy, nuts and nut butters but no animal-sourced foods. Although vitamin B2 and carnitine are found in highest concentrations in animal products, they were not missing in vegan moms’ breast milk, challenging assumptions that breastfed infants of these mothers may be deficient in these nutrients. The study used a technique that separates a sample into its individual parts and analyzes the mass of these parts. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is important for enzymes involved in many biological pathways. A shortage can lead to anemia and neurological problems in infants, the… read on > read on >

The high cost of — everything: Rising inflation rates are ramping up anxieties among some groups of Americans much more than others, a new study reports. Women, middle-age adults and people with less education or lower pay are feeling much more stress over higher prices, as well as people who were previously married but are now widowed, divorced or separated, according to findings published May 15 in JAMA Network Open. “In general, it’s vulnerable populations — people who are more exposed to changing prices,” said lead researcher Cary Wu, an assistant professor of sociology at York University in Toronto. For the study, Wu and his colleagues analyzed data on nearly 370,000 Americans who participated in the Household Pulse Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The survey data revealed: Women were 30% more likely to be stressed by inflation than men. People who were widowed or divorced were about 50% more likely than married couples to be stressed, and those separated were twice as likely. People with a graduate degree were 40% less likely to feel the pinch from inflation than those with a high school diploma, while those with a bachelor’s were 50% less likely. As would be expected, family income also played a crucial role in feeling inflationary stress. About 66% of people earning less than $25,000 felt stressed regarding high inflation, compared… read on > read on >

More than 10 million people in the United States are living with bipolar disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). It’s characterized by severe, dramatic shifts in mood that can catch people off guard. The name captures the dramatic swing from elation to despair. With treatment, many people with bipolar disorder lead stable, satisfying lives. What is bipolar disorder? Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition marked by extreme swings between mania (elevated mood) and depression. On average, it starts around age 25, according to NAMI, although it may begin in adolescence. “These are not just your normal run-of-the-day mood swings,” said James Maddux, a senior scholar at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, in Fairfax, Va. He explained that the condition “involves a manic episode that could be for several weeks or several months, followed by a crash into a major depression — which also can last several weeks to several months.” Bipolar disorder symptoms The main symptoms of bipolar disorder are mania or hypomania and depression. These periods may occur separately, one right after the other or at the same time, according to NAMI and the American Psychological Association. Mania is marked by: Elevated mood Psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusional thinking Impulsive behavior Risk-taking Poor decision-making Irritability, agitation and restlessness Overconfidence Suicidal thoughts Hypomania is… read on > read on >

Lured by promises of bigger muscles and better performance on the field, many athletes and bodybuilders turn to anabolic steroids despite their well-known side effects, including increased risk for heart disease and mood issues. Now, two new studies show these harms may persist after athletes stop taking the synthetic hormones. The message is clear when it comes to the illegal use of anabolic steroids to boost muscle mass and enhance athletic performance: “Don’t do it,” warned study author Dr. Yeliz Bulut. She is a doctoral student at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. In one study of 64 healthy men aged 18 to 50 who engaged in recreational strength training, 28 were using anabolic steroids, 22 were former steroid users and 14 had never taken steroids. Men underwent a test to see how much blood flowed to their heart muscles when resting and exercising. Both former and current steroid users showed poor blood flow to their hearts compared to those who have never used them. Most former users had stopped taking steroids more than one year before the study. In another study, three groups of men aged 18 to 50 answered questionnaires and gave blood to measure levels of the male sex hormone testosterone. This study included 89 current anabolic steroid users, 61 former steroid users and 30 men who had never used steroids. About three-quarters… read on > read on >

TikTok content overwhelmingly promotes vaping, putting young users at potential risk of e-cigarette use, according to researchers in Australia. The popular social media platform’s own policies on promoting e-cigarette use are often violated, their new study shows. “Our study explored how e-cigarettes are promoted on TikTok, to assess the effectiveness of the platform’s own ‘drugs, controlled substances, alcohol and tobacco policy,’” said researcher Jonine Jancey, of the Curtin School of Population Health in Perth. “The sheer amount of potentially harmful content being fed to young people on TikTok shows self-regulation is failing.” The findings show the dangers of letting social media platforms create and enforce their own content policies, she said. “Of the 264 videos related to e-cigarettes that we studied and which had a total of 2.5 million views, 97.7% portrayed them positively, and these posts received 98.7% of the total views and 98.2% of the total likes,” Jancey said in a school news release. “These used humor, music, shared vaping tricks and referred to a ‘vaping community,’ supporting the normalization of these products.” Of 69 posts reviewed by researchers, about 26% violated TikTok’s content policy by promoting e-cigarettes for purchase, including links to information and discount details. “It seems there are no major consequences for those who do not follow TikTok guidelines and violate content policy,” Jancey said. “Social media platforms can decide… read on > read on >

Black and Hispanic communities in the United States are more often poor — and also more likely to have harmful levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their drinking water, a new study reveals. Sources of PFAS pollution — including major manufacturers, airports, military bases, wastewater treatment plants and landfills — are disproportionately sited near watersheds that serve these poorer communities, Harvard researchers found. “Our work suggests that the sociodemographic groups that are often stressed by other factors — including marginalization, racism and poverty — are also more highly exposed to PFAS in drinking water,” said study co-author Jahred Liddie. He is a PhD student in population health sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston. “Environmental justice is a major emphasis of the current administration, and this work shows it should be considered in the upcoming regulations for PFAS in drinking water,” Liddie said in a school news release. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a first-ever national drinking water regulation for six PFAS, expected to be finalized by late 2023. That regulation would establish maximum contaminant levels of two PFAS compounds — PFOA and PFOS — at 4 parts per trillion (4 ng/L). It would also limit the other four. PFAS are widely used because they have stain-resistant and water-resistant properties. But they have extreme persistence in… read on > read on >

Older adults are more easily distracted than younger folks, especially if they’re also physically exerting themselves, according to new research. “Our results suggest that older adults might have heightened distractibility,” said study co-author Lilian Azer, a graduate student from the University of California, Riverside. For the study, the researchers assessed the interaction between physical exertion — such as driving a car or carrying in the groceries — and short-term memory performance when distractors were also in play and when they weren’t. “Action and cognition, which interact often in daily life, are sensitive to the effects of aging,” Azer said in a university news release. “Our study found that in comparison to younger adults, older adults are less likely to ignore distractors in their surroundings when simultaneously engaging in a cognitive task and an effortful physical task. Ignoring task-irrelevant items declines with age and this decline is greater when simultaneously performing a physical task — a frequent occurrence in daily life,” she explained. The study team recruited 19 adults aged 65 to 86 and then enrolled another 31 younger adults, ranging from 18 to 28 years old. All participants were asked to grip a hand dynamometer at either 5% or 30% of their strength while they also did a short-term memory task. A visual gauge provided real-time feedback on the exerted grip force, a type of… read on > read on >

Did you know that ketamine is one of the newest possible methods for treating depression? For a better understanding of ketamine treatment, here are explanations of what it is, how it helps depression, what types of depression it can help with, its side effects and what you can expect during a ketamine therapy session. What is ketamine? Ketamine is a dissociative drug, meaning its mind-altering chemical properties cause you to disconnect from your body. It was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as anesthesia for surgery, according to the National Library of Medicine. It has been used as a street drug under different names like Special K. Doctors sometimes prescribe ketamine for “off-label” (non-FDA-approved) uses, including for pain management and treating people who have depression and suicidal thoughts. As of 2019, the FDA did approve a form of the drug called esketamine, a nasal spray to treat one type of depression known as treatment-resistant depression. How does ketamine therapy help depression? “As a human being everyone has their own default network … a person with depression or anxiety, those people tend to look at the glass half-empty,” said Dr. Keming Gao, director of the Ketamine Infusion for Depression Clinic at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. “So, the ketamine temporarily loosens up their default [network]. This whole thing is what people call neuroplasticity,”… read on > read on >

Becoming a mother is an experience like no other — a time of joy, anticipation and love. But, for some women, new motherhood can come with challenging emotions. Many women struggle with feelings of sadness, anxiety and overwhelming exhaustion. These emotional struggles, coupled with the physical demands of caring for a newborn, can be signs of a condition called postpartum depression (PPD). What is postpartum depression? About 1 in 7 women develop PPD, according to StatPearls. This mood disorder happens after childbirth. It’s characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety and despair that can significantly impact a woman’s ability to function and care for herself and her baby, according to the Mount Sinai Hospital Health Library. Postpartum depression symptoms According to Mount Sinai, PPD typically begins within the first few weeks after delivery, although it can develop up to 6 months after giving birth. Its exact cause is not fully understood, but hormone changes, emotional factors and lifestyle contributors such as lack of support, sleep deprivation and stress can contribute. The most common postpartum depression symptoms cited in the article include: Persistent sadness, hopelessness and feelings of emptiness Changes in appetite, leading to significant weight loss or weight gain Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or excessive sleeping Fatigue and loss of energy Difficulty concentrating, making decisions or remembering things Loss of interest or pleasure in activities… read on > read on >

An estimated 5% of adults worldwide suffer from depression, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This mental health disorder permeates all areas of life from personal relationships to academic and professional ones and goes well beyond typical mood fluctuations and everyday concerns. Depression can affect anyone, but individuals who have experienced trauma, significant losses or high stress levels are at greater risk. Women are more prone to depression than men. This overview will discuss different types of depression, their symptoms and treatments. Types of depression According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are several types of depressive disorders, the most serious of which is clinical depression, or major depressive disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, provides a breakdown of the various depressive disorders. They are classified as follows: Clinical depression Persistent depressive disorder Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder Premenstrual dysphoric disorder Depressive disorder due to another medical condition. This breakdown will help explain their similarities and nuances. Clinical depression Clinical depression, or major depressive disorder, is a debilitating mental health condition characterized by persistent and intense sadness, hopelessness and a loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities. According to the Mayo Clinic, individuals with clinical depression may experience changes in appetite and sleep patterns, an inability to concentrate, and may contemplate or exhibit suicidal thoughts or behaviors.… read on > read on >