Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

Many young U.S. adults are estranged from their parents, at least temporarily — with the father/child bond being especially fragile. Those are among the findings of a new national study that tracked thousands of parent-child relationships from the 1990s to recent years. Researchers found that one-quarter of young adults were estranged from their fathers at some point — four times the number who reported broken ties with their mother. Often, those relationships got back on track to some degree, but reconciliation was less likely with fathers: Of adults who were estranged from their mother at some point, 81% got back in contact; that compared with 69% of people who were estranged from their father. One of the messages from the findings is that family estrangement is common — and not a sign of failure, according to the researchers. “There is a lot of shame and silence around family estrangement, but in my view estrangement isn’t inherently good or bad,” said Rin Reczek, a professor of sociology at Ohio State University. Most often, Reczek said, it’s the adult child who breaks ties, rather than the parent. And there may be many reasons. “As children grow up, they start making choices regarding independence for themselves, and sometimes this includes cutting off or significantly reducing contact with parents for their own healing,” Reczek said. In other cases, someone… read on > read on >

Even though roughly 1 in 5 Americans has been involved in an “open” relationship at some point in their lives, new research cautions that many end up bearing the brunt of stigmatizing and stressful disapproval. The finding stems from a pair of fresh investigations: The first found that roughly 40% of men and women who participate in “consensually non-monogamous” relations report being judged negatively or even threatened by others. And 70% of those who say they don’t experience stigma admit taking pains to keep the less traditional nature of their relationships under wraps. In turn, a follow-up study found that being on the receiving end of such stigma exacts a significant emotional toll, causing anxiety not only when disapproval is actually expressed but also in anticipation of future negative encounters. “Prior research has found that people tend to view consensually non-monogamous relationships more negatively than monogamous relationships,” noted study author Elizabeth Mahar. She is a postdoctoral fellow in the department of obstetrics & gynecology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. And in the latest study, “we found that people in consensually non-monogamous relationships do indeed report experiencing stigma in a variety of ways,” Mahar said. That stigma can take many forms, she added, ranging from disgust to social exclusion to worse service when out in public. And those experiences sting, undermining quality… read on > read on >

It’s easy to blame the childhood obesity epidemic for growing cases of type 2 diabetes, but a new study finds nearly one-quarter of all diagnoses are not related to obesity. “The finding was somewhat surprising,” said Dr. Constantine Samaan, an associate professor in the department of pediatrics at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. “The findings highlighted to us that there is significant heterogeneity [diversity] in type 2 diabetes risk in children. We clearly do not understand all the factors that drive its occurrence.” The researchers set out to study the issue because it wasn’t clear if obesity was universal in these patients, Samaan said. Screening has been driven by body-mass measures, so the investigators also wanted to know whether there was a subgroup of kids whose type 2 diabetes did not involve obesity. “We had considered several possible explanations and tested for them in the study. We had thought maybe children had lost weight due to the late diagnosis of diabetes or that they may have other forms of diabetes such as genetic forms,” Samaan said. “These two possibilities did not pan out in the analysis, so we do not yet know why some children develop type 2 diabetes when they are not overweight.” Researchers have hypothesized that there are likely children who do not produce enough insulin or are resistant to insulin, even at… read on > read on >

MONDAY, Dec. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Add better chances of conceiving a baby to the list of health benefits linked to the much-touted Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet – which is rich in fresh fruits and veggies, healthy fats like olive oil, whole grains, legumes, nuts and fish – has been shown to boost brain health, and reduce the risk for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Now, researchers in Australia report that this style of eating also can improve fertility, the chances of success with assisted reproductive technology, and sperm quality in men. The common denominator? Inflammation. “Our review demonstrates that the Mediterranean Diet may also increase fertility and provide benefits for couples who are trying to have children,” said study author Simon Alesi, a researcher at Monash University in Melbourne. “Inflammation is increasingly recognized as a factor that contributes to poor reproductive and fertility outcomes, often termed ‘inflammatory infertility’ in the evidence,” Alesi said. “And the bionutrients in the Mediterranean diet such as monounsaturated fats, flavonoids, vitamins C and E, polyphenols, and the limited intake of processed meat, are likely to reduce inflammation in the body, thus improving fertility.” By contrast, the traditional Western diet, which is low in fruits and vegetables and high in fat and sodium, has been linked to more inflammation and other health problems. For this study, researchers… read on > read on >

The holiday season is filled with to-do lists, but one should rise to the top: Take care of your heart. Whether from stress, cold weather or falling out of good habits in terms of eating, sleeping and drinking, heart attack rates spike as much as 40% between Christmas and New Year’s, according to cardiologist Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones. He is chairman of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago. “When we look across the year in terms of heart attack rates, what we see is fairly constant rates week by week with two exceptions: One is that there’s a broad, shallow dip in summer months and, two, there is a very short spike of about 30% to 40% in the last couple weeks of the year between Christmas and New Year’s,” Lloyd-Jones said in a university news release. It’s important not to underestimate symptoms, he stressed. “We have two kidneys and two lungs, but only one heart and one brain, so it’s much safer to err on the side of caution,” Lloyd-Jones said. “If there’s any doubt, get checked out in person. At best, hopefully you are aborting a heart attack or stroke. Time is heart muscle, time is brain cells, and so time is of the essence. The sooner you seek help in that situation, the sooner we can save your… read on > read on >

Final exams are stressful for students, but it is possible to ratchet down the pressure with some planning and self-compassion. A psychologist from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston offers a few suggestions for helping teens manage the pressure. Start with the basics, including making sure the teen is getting sufficient sleep, eating nutritiously without skipping meals and maintaining a reasonable level of physical activity. “A lot of people end up thinking they need to spend more time studying or don’t have time for exercise or meals, but it ends up turning into a vicious cycle of not taking care of yourself, which contributes to worse future performance,” said Dr. Eric Storch. He is vice chair of psychology in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor. Every study schedule should include taking breaks to relax and unwind, he said. Also, Storch advised, it’s important to keep things in perspective. Success and failure aren’t black and white. Talking to a friend or parent can be very helpful for those who are under stress. “Reflect on if the world will end if you don’t get a perfect score. Maybe you didn’t do as well as you wanted on that test, but you didn’t fail,” Storch said in a Baylor news release. He suggests that students make a study plan instead of procrastinating, then take… read on > read on >

This season of celebrating also comes with lots of stress for many people. But despite the long to-do list and mandatory get-togethers, it is possible to maintain a healthy mind, according to experts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. “Stress is an inevitable part of life and so the first thing people can do is focus on their wellness, which is really about accepting that stress can be something we can get through with the right supports,” said Kelly Moore, director of the Center for Psychological Services at Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. “Finding routine and predictability in your life is a great way to alleviate stress,” Moore added in a university news release. “Watching reruns of shows you enjoyed, having a cup of tea every day or creating a playlist of songs that bring you peace are just some ways to alleviate stress.” For many people, financial stressors dampen their holiday cheer. Others may fear possible exposure to COVID-19 if they join in holiday festivities. “As social obligations and activities increase, so do stress levels. Some people find interacting with family members or colleagues stressful, while others may be grieving the loss of a loved one,” said Keith Stowell, chief medical officer at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. “Watch out for difficulty sleeping and changes in appetite, as well as… read on > read on >

Air pollution is plaguing the world’s oldest subway system, a new study warns, with high levels of tiny metal particles found in dust samples throughout the London Underground. Whether these particles actually pose a risk to human health remains an open question, British researchers acknowledge. But experts say it’s happening in subway systems elsewhere, including the United States. The London Underground, especially, is poorly ventilated, the authors of the new report noted. And the bits of a form of iron oxide in question are often incredibly small, far smaller than a single red blood cell. So the threat, the study team cautioned, is that easily inhaled metallic particles can readily enter into the bloodstream of the network’s 5 million daily passengers. Prior research has linked that kind of exposure to a higher risk for serious issues such as Alzheimer’s disease and bacterial infections. “Our study looks at nanoparticles of iron oxide — particles between 5 nm [nanometers] and 500 nm in size — which are generated by the braking system,” explained study lead author Hassan Sheikh, a risk researcher with the Centre for Risk Studies at the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. The particulates are byproducts of the routine workings of train brake blocks, collector shoes and motor brushes. They may also be released by the friction caused by the interaction between the… read on > read on >

Nearly one-quarter of all American adults who care for an elderly parent also care for a child at the same time, a new study reveals. And when compared with those who only have a parent under their watch, members of the so-called “sandwich generation” — namely caregivers of both the old and the young — are much more likely to struggle with money problems, emotional trouble and exhaustion, the researchers found. “There is actually little research evidence characterizing this group,” said lead study author Lianlian Lei, a health services researcher in the department of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. “So, our team aimed to fill that gap and provide a national estimate describing this group of caregivers, and how they are similar or different from other types of caregivers.” In the end, Lei’s team pegged the number of dual caregivers in the United States at about 2.5 million, “which is nearly one-quarter of all those who are caregivers for their aging parents.” “We weren’t that surprised by the size,” she stressed. “It seems more like we described something that many colleagues actually are living through.” Nor were investigators surprised by the struggles they identified as particular to this group, “given the intense type of burden they are experiencing.” To get a handle on the scope and burdens of dual caregiving, the… read on > read on >

So much for vaping as a smoking-cessation tool: New research finds most folks who use both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes are likely to continue smoking rather than quit, a new study finds. How much is most? Only 10% quit vaping and smoking. “As used by the general population, e-cigarettes have not contributed to substantial smoking cessation,” said lead researcher Nandita Krishnan, a doctoral student in the department of prevention and community health at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. “Considering that smoking cigarettes is harmful, and the long-term effects of e-cigarette use are unknown, and using both products concurrently carries increased risk, people should be encouraged to quit using both products,” she added. Vaping nicotine is addictive and has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and lung disease, Krishnan said. People use e-cigarettes for a variety of reasons, she said. “These include trying to quit or cut down on smoking, the appeal of flavors, the fact that they don’t smell, and some people vape to get a nicotine fix in places where they can’t smoke cigarettes.” For the study, Krishnan and her colleagues collected data on 545 cigarette smokers who also vaped. The researchers took into account various factors, including race and ethnicity, education and behavioral factors, such as frequency of nicotine, alcohol and marijuana use and perceptions about vaping as more… read on > read on >