ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Blood pressure control, lifestyle changes key to preventing subsequent strokes
• For some, money will not buy happiness: Neither life experiences nor material items make materialistic shoppers happier
• Real difference between how men, women choose partners
• Alcohol use before pregnancy linked to intestinal birth defect
• Humans have a nose for gender: Chemical cues influence perceptions of movement as more masculine or feminine
• Malnutrition during pregnancy may affect the health of future generations
• Risk of weight gain deters some smokers from seeking treatment to quit
• Individual brain activity predicts tendency to succumb to daily temptations
• Rules of thumb: Three simple ideas for overcoming childhood obesity
• When it comes to classes, small is better
• Playing outside could make kids more spiritual
• Looks really can kill you: Protect yourself against skin cancer
• 'Til sickness do us part: How illness affects the risk of divorce
• UV nail salon lamps linked to small increased risk of skin cancer
• Parents just as likely to use cell phones while driving as other drivers, putting child passengers at risk
• Insects represent link for antibiotic resistance traits
• Screening out: What are parents doing to limit screen time for young children?

Blood pressure control, lifestyle changes key to preventing subsequent strokes Posted: 01 May 2014 01:56 PM PDT Controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and irregular heart rhythms are key to stroke survivors avoiding another stroke. Updated guidelines emphasize lifestyle management, including diet, exercise and weight management. Other important updates affect management of narrowed neck arteries and irregular heartbeat.

For some, money will not buy happiness: Neither life experiences nor material items make materialistic shoppers happier Posted: 01 May 2014 10:26 AM PDT Many shoppers, regardless of whether they buy life experiences or material items, are no happier following the purchase than they were before, a new study finds. These shoppers -- about a third of the population -- appear to be an exception to previous research that has found buying experiences will make an individual happier. Researchers found the happiness boost from experiences is often negated for material buyers because the purchase doesn't reflect their personality.

Real difference between how men, women choose partners Posted: 01 May 2014 10:26 AM PDT A hamburger that's 90 percent fat-free sounds a lot better than one with 10 percent fat. And even when the choices are the same, humans are hard-wired to prefer the more positive option. This is because of what's known as the 'framing effect,' a principle that new research has proved, applies to mate selection, too.

Alcohol use before pregnancy linked to intestinal birth defect Posted: 01 May 2014 10:25 AM PDT Women should refrain from drinking alcohol before they try to become pregnant, according to maternal-fetal medicine specialists. Alcohol is associated with an increased risk for mental delays, cardiac anomalies and facial clefting in babies. In a recent study, researchers also found that alcohol is linked to gastroschisis, a birth defect of the baby's abdominal wall. "Preconception programs focused on alcohol abstinence may help to reverse the increasing incidence of this birth defect worldwide," said one researcher.

Humans have a nose for gender: Chemical cues influence perceptions of movement as more masculine or feminine Posted: 01 May 2014 09:34 AM PDT The human body produces chemical cues that communicate gender to members of the opposite sex, according to new research. Whiffs of the active steroid ingredients (androstadienone in males and estratetraenol in females) influence our perceptions of movement as being either more masculine or more feminine. The effect, which occurs completely without awareness, depends on both our biological sex and our sexual orientations.

Malnutrition during pregnancy may affect the health of future generations Posted: 01 May 2014 09:34 AM PDT New research reveals how environmental factors in the womb can predispose not only the mother's own offspring but also the grand-offspring to metabolic disorders like liver disease. Researchers found for pregnant mice that are malnourished that their offspring are at first growth restricted and have low birth weight but then go on to become obese and diabetic as they age. Strikingly, the offspring of the growth-restricted males are predisposed to metabolic abnormalities.

Risk of weight gain deters some smokers from seeking treatment to quit Posted: 01 May 2014 08:23 AM PDT Smokers may avoid treatment to quit smoking if they previously gained weight while trying to quit, according to researchers. Weight gain is a predictable occurrence for smokers who have recently quit. Within the first year after quitting, they gain an average of eight to 14 pounds, and some smokers report that they keep smoking simply because they do not want to gain weight from quitting.

Individual brain activity predicts tendency to succumb to daily temptations Posted: 01 May 2014 08:17 AM PDT Activity in areas of the brain related to reward and self-control may offer neural markers that predict whether people are likely to resist or give in to temptations, like food, in daily life, according to new research.

Rules of thumb: Three simple ideas for overcoming childhood obesity Posted: 01 May 2014 08:17 AM PDT A new approach to overcome the complex problem of childhood obesity and related mental disorders has been published by one expert. Using heuristics, or mental shortcuts, the approach can be used for both treatment and prevention. His "rules," meant to facilitate healthy choices, are straightforward and practical.

When it comes to classes, small is better Posted: 01 May 2014 07:12 AM PDT Small classes, especially in the first four years of school, can have an important and lasting impact on student achievement, a new report shows. In a review of over 100 papers from 1979-2014, an education expert looked at whether the conclusions reached on the effect of smaller class sizes still hold true today. "Smaller classes in the early years can lift a child's academic performance right through to Year 12 and even into tertiary study and employment," he concluded.

Playing outside could make kids more spiritual Posted: 01 May 2014 07:11 AM PDT Children who spend significant time outdoors could have a stronger sense of self-fulfillment and purpose than those who don't, according to new research linking children's experiences in nature with how they define spirituality. "These values are incredibly important to human development and well-being," said a co-author. "We were surprised by the results. Before we did the study, we asked, 'Is it just a myth that children have this deep connection with nature?' But we found it to be true in pretty profound ways."

Looks really can kill you: Protect yourself against skin cancer Posted: 01 May 2014 07:09 AM PDT It only takes a few bad sunburns or trips to the tanning bed to put someone at risk for melanoma. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States and when left untreated, melanoma is the most dangerous and aggressive form. It accounts for more than 9,000 of the 12,000-plus skin cancer deaths each year. In observance of May's Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, focus is turned to helping teens keep their skin safe this spring.

'Til sickness do us part: How illness affects the risk of divorce Posted: 01 May 2014 04:59 AM PDT In the classic marriage vow, couples promise to stay together in sickness and in health. But a new study finds that the risk of divorce among older married couples rises when the wife -- but not the husband -- becomes seriously ill. "We found that women are doubly vulnerable to marital dissolution in the face of illness," researchers said. "They are more likely to be widowed, and if they are the ones who become ill, they are more likely to get divorced."

UV nail salon lamps linked to small increased risk of skin cancer Posted: 30 Apr 2014 04:26 PM PDT Using higher-wattage ultra violet lamps at nail salons to dry and cure polish was associated with more ultra violet-A radiation being emitted, but the brief exposure after a manicure would require multiple visits for potential DNA damage and the risk for cancer remains small. The authors tested 17 light units from 16 salons with a wide range of bulbs, wattage and irradiance emitted by each device.

Parents just as likely to use cell phones while driving as other drivers, putting child passengers at risk Posted: 30 Apr 2014 10:28 AM PDT Despite their precious cargo, parents are no less likely to engage in driving distractions like cell phone use than drivers from the general population, according to a new study. The study found that 90 percent of parent drivers said they engaged in at least one of the 10 distractions examined in the study while their child was a passenger and the vehicle was moving.

Insects represent link for antibiotic resistance traits Posted: 29 Apr 2014 10:35 AM PDT Insects, such as house flies and cockroaches, can carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria from places such as food animal farms and wastewater treatment facilities, and disseminate them to urban areas. The transmission could be a contributor to the increasing problem with human antibiotic resistance.

Screening out: What are parents doing to limit screen time for young children? Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:55 AM PDT About 25 percent of parents who have children aged two to five say their children get three or more hours of entertainment screen time a day, well beyond recommended limits, according to a new poll. Any screen time for children less than two years of age is discouraged by experts. For older children, no more than two hours daily is recommended, and media devices should be kept out of children's bedrooms. 53 percent of parents are following these recommendations, but 13 percent said they do not limit entertainment screen time for their young children.

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