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 >

Global warming has been linked to higher rates of asthma, heart disease and other health concerns. Now, new research suggests that rising temperatures across the planet may place pregnant women at greater risk for severe pregnancy-related illnesses, especially in their third trimester. And this is likely to get worse in the near future, said study author Anqi Jiao, a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Irvine. “Climate change will continue to impact all facets of health with increasing severity and duration of extreme heat events,” she noted. Severe maternal illness is an umbrella term for 21 serious conditions that can include heart attacks, kidney failure, sudden cardiac arrest, heart failure, anesthesia complications, blood infections, and need for a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), among other illnesses and complications. “These women… would have died without appropriate and timely identification and intervention, but severe pregnancy-related illnesses are thought to be preventable to a large extent,” Jiao said. What’s more, these conditions can result in longer-term treatment and recovery and place a greater financial burden on families, she added. Exactly how exposure to extreme heat causes serious pregnancy complications for expectant moms is not fully understood, but the researchers have some theories. Heat exposure may lead to dehydration and an imbalance of minerals in the blood, which can cause inflammation, increased heart rate and other symptoms, Jiao…  read on >  read on >

Most American men think they’re leading a healthy lifestyle, possibly picturing themselves as a Hollywood leading man type. But their actual health habits are those of a schlubby sidekick, a new Cleveland Clinic survey reveals. The national poll found that four out of five (81%) American men believe they are leading a healthy lifestyle. But nearly half do not get a yearly physical (44%) and do not take care of their mental health (44%), researchers found. Only half said they follow a healthy diet (51%), and about a quarter (27%) admit to being couch potatoes who watch TV more than five hours a day, on average. “What they found was that the majority of men in the survey really felt like they were living a very healthy lifestyle,” said Dr. Raevti Bole, a urologist with the Center for Men’s Health in the Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. “But when you ask some of those more specific questions and got them to think about it, they found that some of those behaviors weren’t in alignment with what they had initially thought about how healthy their lifestyles were.” Cleveland Clinic issued the survey as part of its eighth annual MENtion It educational campaign. The campaign is meant to draw attention to the fact that men often do not mention health issues or take…  read on >  read on >

“Vain” isn’t a word normally associated with football players, but many wide receivers believe they look slim and fleet-footed with a lower number on their jersey rather than a higher one. New research shows these players are onto something. In two experiments, subjects shown images of players consistently said that those wearing jerseys numbered 10 to 19 looked thinner than those in jerseys 80 to 89 — even when their body sizes were the same, according to a new report in the journal PLOS ONE. Researchers say this is because the way we perceive numbers appears to influence our perceptions of body sizes. “How we perceive the world is highly influenced by our prior knowledge,” said senior researcher Ladan Shams, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles. “In our daily lives, numbers written on objects — on a bag of sugar in the supermarket or weights in the gym — usually represent the magnitude of the objects,” she said in a university news release. “The higher the number, the bigger or more massive the object generally is.” The study followed up on a 2019 ESPN report exploring why many football wide receivers prefer to wear jersey numbers between 10 and 19. A longtime NFL rule required wide receivers to wear uniform numbers between 80 and 89, but the league…  read on >  read on >

Just like adults, kids face daily stressors. Luckily, a new study suggests that teaching them creative thinking can help them manage it all. Researchers found that when school-age children learned some “narrative creativity” techniques — such as shifting your perspective and imagining “what if” scenarios — they quickly became better problem-solvers. After a week-long creativity camp, or even just a single lesson, kids showed more confidence in their ability to face life’s daily problems and come up with a “plan B” when necessary. The study was small, based on 60 kids attending the same summer camp. But experts said the findings just make sense. When kids can think flexibly, they are less likely to “panic” in the face of challenge, said study author Angus Fletcher, a professor at Ohio State University. Instead of simply giving up, he said, they are more apt to hunt for alternative solutions — a capacity called resilience. “Kids have some of the same daily challenges that adults do,” Fletcher said. “Their biggest problems aren’t in math, they’re in interacting with other kids.” Yet, Fletcher noted, schools typically focus on test scores rather than life skills. Meanwhile, parents, however well-intentioned, can also get in the way — if they rush to fix their child’s dilemma or tell them the “correct” solution. “It’s very challenging for some parents to resist that,” Fletcher…  read on >  read on >