Our weekly roundup of the latest developments in the world of health.
This week we look at how negative life events could increase your risk for psychiatric disorders, how those holiday pounds can add up over time — even if you only gain a little each year — and how a hormone released during stress can affect your memory. We also dispel some misconceptions about herpes and look into why vegans might want to invest in vitamin supplements.
Stay well.
This Issue:
Misfortune And Mental Health
Holiday Pounds
Stress Hormone And Memory
Herpes Contagious Between Outbreaks
Vegan Vision
In The News:
Misfortune And Mental Health
Genes aren't the only things that make people vulnerable to psychiatric problems — environment could also have something to do with it. A study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior finds that adversity and negative life experiences can influence the development of psychiatric disorders. The study looked at previous research into environmental
causes for mental illness. One study analyzed how normal people can develop
post-traumatic stress disorder following exposure to "uncontrollable negative
events." Another linked low socioeconomic status and a higher prevalence
of psychiatric disorders and a third study suggested that social factors are more important than genetic factors when it comes to the relationship between socioeconomic status and depression in women and socioeconomic status and antisocial personality, alcoholism and substance abuse in men, the Medical Tribune reports. An analysis of all three studies led the researchers to conclude that the greater the "uncontrollable changes" that occur after a negative life event, the more likely a person is to develop a form of mental illness. Their example was the character of Willie Loman from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. In the play, Loman's depressive symptoms are brought on simply because he is "weighted down by life."
Holiday Pounds
The good news: You're probably not putting on as many extra pounds during the holidays as you think. The bad news: If you don't take that weight off, then even these small gains can add up over time. Many Americans think that most people gain five to 10 pounds over the winter holidays (Thanksgiving through New Year's Day), The Associated Press reports. But a study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that the average person's weight gain is more like one pound. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health studied 195 people from September 1998 through March 1999. On average, the participants gained about 1.05 pounds, with less than 10 percent of them gaining five or more pounds. The biggest factor in how much extra weight they gained was their level of activity. However, the researchers followed up with 165 of the participants and found something less encouraging: by September, the participants were an average of 1.4 pounds heavier than they'd been when the study began, indicating that they'd gained more weight over the spring and summer, rather than taking weight off during the warmer months.
Stress Hormone And Memory
Ever blanked out during a job interview or on a major test? This fairly
common experience might happen because a hormone released in stressful situations can make you forget things you already know. A report published
in the journal Nature Neuroscience finds a link between the stress
hormone cortisol and memory function. Researchers from the University of
California, Irvine looked at the effects of heightened cortisol levels on the memories of 36 people. The subjects were given a list of 60 words to learn. Each word appeared on a computer screen for four seconds. The subjects were tested on their memory of the words right after they learned them and again a day later. They were also given pills containing either cortisone (a precursor of cortisol) in a dose similar to what the body releases during stress or else a placebo. The pills were given either an hour before the word presentation, immediately after the word presentation, or one hour before the test the next day. The researchers found taking the dose of cortisone impaired memory only when the hormone was taken an hour before the test taken on the second day. The researchers say this suggests that cortisol impedes recollection of old memories, but not recent ones. In fact, during learning situations the hormone can actually help you learn better, they say. Their results bear out earlier findings from animal studies, the Medical Tribune reports.
Herpes Contagious Between
Outbreaks
Genital herpes is contagious even between outbreaks. That's one of
the findings of a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine,
which refutes some of the conventional wisdom about this sexually transmitted
disease. In the study, researchers from the University of Washington looked
at 53 men and women who were infected with herpes but had no symptoms and
90 patients who had a history of symptoms. The subjects were asked to swab
specimens from around the anus and genitals every day for three months. They also were asked to keep track of any symptoms. The researchers found that members of both groups had the virus present in their secretions at the same rate (about 3 percent) on symptom-free days. Previously, many doctors had believed people with herpes were not contagious when they were not having an outbreak. The study also found that, again contrary to popular belief, men were just as contagious between flare-ups as women were. The researchers say their study suggests that people who are at risk for genital herpes should be tested for the virus, and that people diagnosed with herpes should use condoms even when they are symptom-free and should abstain from sex during outbreaks. About a quarter of U.S. adults have genital herpes, which is incurable, and only about 20 percent of them are aware that they have been infected, The Associated Press reports.
Vegan Vision
Vegan? You may need vitamins. A strict vegan diet, in which no animal products are consumed, can lead to a shortage of nutrients that are essential
for healthy eyes. That warning comes from French researchers, in a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers described the case of a 33-year-old French man who had been a vegan for 13 years and who lost most of his eyesight due to a vitamin deficiency. The man did not drink heavily or smoke, and he did not take vitamin supplements. He was nearly blind when he was diagnosed with optic neuropathy, and doctors could find no infectious cause for his condition. However, blood tests showed that he had deficiencies of vitamins B1, B12, A, C, D and E, as well as the minerals zinc and selenium. Vitamin B12 in particular is important for the health of optic nerves, Reuters reports. The researchers say vitamin supplementation is essential for people following a strict vegan diet. Reuters quoted another expert who said becoming a vegan does not have to mean nutritional deficiencies, as long dietary requirements are carefully researched using credible sources first.
Copyright Johns Hopkins University, 2000. All rights reserved. The above summaries are not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters, nor are they intended to be a substitute for consultation with a physician.
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