Rap music may trigger early sex in teens

 
Listening to rap music frequently can lead to having early sex in teenagers, warn researchers, adding that rap music is more likely to have sexually explicit messages than other music genres.

According to researchers from the University of Texas' health science center at Houston (UTHealth), when middle school youth listen to rap music for three or more hours each day, they are more likely to believe that their peers are having sex and subsequently more likely to initiate sex by ninth grade.

"Rap music influences your beliefs about what you think your peers are doing. It's a norming agent that tells you that certain things are ok, like drinking alcohol or having sex. It gives you the idea that everyone is doing it," said Kimberly Johnson-Baker, lead author and faculty associate at UTHealth's school of public health.

"The more you're listening to it, the more you're conforming, so you could see how it would set up a belief about what your peers are doing," Johnson-Baker added.

In an analysis of 443 youth enrolled in a longitudinal evaluation study in Houston, middle school students were surveyed about how often they listened to rap music and whether they believed their peers were having sex.

At follow up in ninth grade, the same youth were surveyed about whether they had initiated sex.

Youth who listened to rap music three hours or more each day in seventh grade were 2.6 times more likely to report having had sex two years later.

However, researchers found that the association was partially mediated by perceived peer sexual behaviour because youth who believed their peers were having sex were 2.5 times more likely to initiate sex, regardless of the additional factors.

Johnson-Baker emphasised that when adolescents hear sexually explicit messages in a song, they are looking to their friends to confirm whether such behaviour is happening around them.

If their friends confirm it, youth are more likely to initiate sex. But if friends are being critical of the themes in the music, they may be convinced that it's not happening around them.

"Perceived peer sex is the most powerful predictor of future sex and addressing perceived peer behaviour with youth is really important," Johnson-Baker noted in a paper published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Rap music and forms of progressive hip-hop education can be used as tools to deconstruct sexually explicit messages adolescents receive.

"Parents can play a more proactive role by having open conversations with their kids regarding the themes in rap music while setting clear expectations for responsible sexual and dating behaviour,"

Want to live longer? Think positively!

Certain psychological factors such as quick thinking and feeling healthy may be very strong predictors of how long we will live, a new study has found. Researchers from  examined 29 years' worth of data collected from 6,203 adults who ranged in age from 41 to 96 years old when they began the study.
 
Aggregating data from 15 different tasks, researchers looked at participants' cognitive performance across five domains of ability - crystallised intelligence, fluid intelligence, verbal memory, visual memory, and processing speed. The tasks - all well-established measures of cognitive ability - were administered up to four times over a 12-year period, allowing researchers to assess participants' baseline performance and change in performance over time for each domain
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To gauge participants' health, researchers used the Cornell Medical Index, a measure that includes detailed checklists of a total of 195 pathological symptoms related to physical and psychological disorders. Finally, the researchers looked at participants' subjective reports of various lifestyle factors, including perceived health, number of prescribed medicines, sleep patterns, hobbies, leisure activities, and social interactions. Using two types of statistical analysis, researchers were able to assess the relative importance of a total of 65 different variables in predicting participants' mortality risk.

The results showed subjective health and mental processing speed to be two of the strongest predictors - that is, better perceived health and smaller decreases in processing speed over time were associated with reduced mortality risk.

Being a woman was also associated with reduced mortality risk, while years of smoking tobacco was linked with an increased risk of early death. "Our study shows that two psychological variables, lower self-rated health and age-related decrements in processing speed, appear to be especially important indicators of elevated mortality risk in middle-age and older adults,"."This information may facilitate diagnostic accuracy and timely interventions,".

The findings may provide useful insights to health professionals, who need better methods for identifying individuals at risk of early death, researchers said.

Dating sites may be spreading HIV says study

Dating websites and apps may be behind the growing number of newly HIV infected men in the US, a new study has said, cautioning people about the risks of sexual encounters arranged online.
More than 60% of men in the US state of Rhode Island who had sex with men and were diagnosed with HIV in 2013 reported meeting their sexual partners online in the preceding year, said the study that interviewed 70 of the state's 74 newly diagnosed people.

In 2013, 74 Rhode Island residents were newly diagnosed with HIV. Three in five were gay, bisexual, or others. And of the 43 people, 22 told researchers they believed a man they met online gave them the virus.
"This is a statewide study that included nearly all individuals newly diagnosed with HIV across an entire state."This is one of the first studies to document how common internet site use is among people newly diagnosed with HIV and highlights important opportunities to partner with hookup sites to advance public health,".
Many of the individuals newly diagnosed in Rhode Island were diagnosed late in the course of their infection, the study showed. Researchers said this suggested that they may have been living with HIV for a long time, and potentially unknowingly transmitting HIV to other people, including partners they met online.
Companies that produce online dating and apps should partner with public health groups, to share public health messages about the risks of sexual encounters arranged online, researchers said. For instance, sites and apps could provide affordable advertising access to help prevent infection in communities that are most impacted by HIV,

Just walking around can help you live longer

Even if you do not sweat it out in the gym very morning, swapping out just a few minutes of sedentary time with some sort of movement can help you live longer, suggests new research.

In the study involving over 3,000 people aged 50 to 79, the researchers found that the least active people were five times more likely to die during the study period than the most active people and three times more likely than those in the middle range for activity.

“You needn’t break a sweat to experience the reduced likelihood of mortality,” said University of Pennsylvania study lead author Ezra Fishman. “Activity doesn’t have to be especially vigorous to be beneficial. That’s the public health message,” Fishman noted.

The findings were published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. For the study, the participants wore ultra-sensitive activity trackers, called accelerometers, for seven days, generating data compiled by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For these same people, the agency then tracked mortality for the next eight years.

“When we compare people who exercise the same amount, those who sit less and move around more tend to live longer,” Fishman said. “The folks who were walking around, washing the dishes, sweeping the floor tended to live longer than the people who were sitting at a desk”, Fishman added.

Though the scientists did not discover any magic threshold for the amount a person needs to move to improve mortality, they did learn that even adding just 10 minutes per day of light activity could make a difference. Replacing 30 minutes of sedentary time with light or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity produced even better results. “When it comes to physical activity, ‘more’ is better than less, and anything is better than nothing,”

Swapping out just a few minutes of sedentary time with some sort of movement, such as walking around or doing dishes, is associated with a reduced mortality risk, a new study has claimed.

Researchers looked at data from about 3,000 people aged 50 to 79 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the study, subjects wore ultra-sensitive activity trackers, called accelerometers, for s ..

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Not just alcohol, but salt too damages your liver

Too much of salt can damage liver
High intake of salt not only increases the blood pressure but can also damage liver in adults, a US study warns. When researchers administered adult mice with high-salt diet, they noticed significant changes in their liver such as decrease in cell proliferation, change in the shape of cells and early death of cells. All these lead to liver fibrosis, a condition that leads to excessive accumulation of scar tissue and gradually lead to live failure. Salt helps regulate water movement within the body and carry out the nerve impulses.
 

Gamers using thin avatars are more likely to be physically active
Gamers who use thin avatars in games are more likely to do more physical activity compared to those using obese avatars, a University of California study shows. The participants were randomly assigned to a normal weight or obese avatar as well as normal weight or obese opponent in a tennis game. It was found that participants, even with higher BMI (body mass index), showed increased physical activity when they used thin avatars compared to those using obese avatars. Researchers feel it has real-world implications and these video game avatars can be used to encourage people to increase physical activity.

Keeping mind active can delay Alzheimer’s
Keeping the mind active can delay Alzheimer’s disease even though it can’t cure it, a new study suggests. Researchers from Mayo Clinic found that people who are more mentally active and carry APOE4 (a gene linked to Alzheimer’s) show lower deposition of amyloid protein in the middle age. Increased deposition of this protein in brain tissue leads to Alzheimer’s disease. “The takeaway message from the research is that keeping your mind active is very important in delaying symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” said lead author Prashanthi Vemuri.

Sharing videos can empower people with intellectual disabilities
Recording and sharing videos of people with intellectual disabilities on YouTube can help encourage people with similar condition, a Canadian study suggests. Researchers from Concordia University helped eight intellectually disabled people write and direct short videos highlighting important aspects of their lives. These videos were then shared with a focus group to get their feedback before it was uploaded on YouTube. When the videos were shown to people with similar intellectual disabilities, they praised it and felt inspired by the success of their peers.

Short-term memory linked to distraction
People with short-term memory are more likely to get distracted while driving and doing other high pressure activities, claims a US study. Researchers from Simon Fraser University used electroencephalogram (EEG) to study memory and distraction in people. They found that people who did well in memory tests handled distractions better compared to those who didn’t perform well and couldn’t suppress distractions in time. Distraction is a leading cause of injury and even death while driving. 

These seven super foods are your skin's best friends!

 

 

Having good, healthy skin in these times of increasing pollution levels should be considered an achievement, really.
Every morning is all about how someone found a new zit on their face, or never-there-before pigmentation, dark spots, acne, blackheads, etc.
 
Rushing to the nearest store and blowing your hard-earned money on beauty creams and face washes to get rid of the problem skin is the first thing on the list in these situations.
But why do that when you could be saving time by resisting the problem in the first place?


 









 How? Eating well, that's how! Instead of buying expensive creams and skin care treatments, stock up your kitchen with the seven super foods that will provide you with all the nutrients required to get that beautiful, glowing skin that youve always wanted.

Salmon is known to be a source rich in the highest amount of essential Omega-3 fatty acids, that are responsible for the maintenance of cell membranes. They help in reducing skin pores, fine lines and wrinkles and also contribute in protecting the skin from harmful rays of the sun.

These berries are full to the brim with antioxidants and fight against free radical damage to the skin. Rich in Vitamin C, strawberries help fight signs of ageing by reducing wrinkles and providing moisture to the skin.

Considered one of the healthiest foods, avocados are a rich source of Vitamin E. Adding this super food to your diet, will in turn add that beautiful glow to your skin. A small tip: When combined with foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E can also reverse the signs of aging.

Let's talk about beverages for a change. The antioxidant powers of green tea are not unheard of. Green tea not only keeps you physically fit, but the polyphenols in it help fight of free radical damage and reduce signs of aging.

Turkey meat, especially the dark part is an amazing source of zinc. Zinc helps maintain collagen levels and protects skin cells from damage.

Although brown rice can't prevent signs of aging, they can certainly delay the process. Brown rice helps maintain the firmness and elasticity of your skin. This is because it is full of Selenium.

Rich in beta-carotene, carrots work their wonder on the skin when beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body. This aids in growth and repair of skin cells.   

Eating excess fish during pregnancy exposes baby to obesity

     

Expecting mothers, take note. Women who ate more than the recommended three servings of fish per week while pregnant gave birth to children at a higher risk of obesity than expectant moms who ate less, says a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Paediatrics found an association between higher fish intake and the likelihood of rapid growth and obesity in offspring, but researchers cautioned that they had not proven any cause and effect.
Pregnant women are often concerned about how much fish to consume, since it can be good for the developing brain of the foetus but also contains pollutants such as mercury which can be harmful. Researchers said more work needs to be done, and that for now it would be “speculative” to hypothesise that “fish-associated contaminant exposure may play a role in the observed associations.”


The study, led by Leda Chatzi, a doctor at the University of Crete, analysed data from more than 26,000 pregnant women and their children in European and US studies. The study relied on women’s reports of how much fish they consumed weekly while pregnant, and followed their children until the age of six to uncover links between maternal fish intake and childhood growth.
The amount of fish women ate varied from an average of 0.5 times per week in Belgium to 4.45 times per week in Spain. “High fish intake was eating fish more than three times per week,” said the study.
Watch: What kind of fish should be avoided during pregnancy?
“Women who ate fish more than three times per week when they were pregnant gave birth to children with higher BMI values at two, four and six years of age compared with women who ate fish less,” said the study. “High maternal fish intake during pregnancy also was associated with an increased risk of rapid growth from birth to two years and with an increased risk of overweight/obesity for children at ages four and six years compared with maternal fish intake while pregnant of once a week or less.”


The effect of excessive of fish intake was greater in girls than boys. The study did not delve into what kinds of fish the women ate, nor did it study levels of contaminants like methyl mercury.
The takeaway message, said study authors, was that pregnant women should follow recommended guidelines for fish intake and not exceed three servings per week.

Don’t skip breakfast if you want to remain active

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Eating breakfast may not only make people lose weight, but can also make them more physically active and reduce food intake later in the day, reveals a study.

According to the team, increasing activity can improve health in sedentary people, making them more active by controlling their blood sugar levels.

“Despite many people offering opinions about whether or not you should eat breakfast, to date, there has been a lack of rigorous scientific evidence showing how, or whether, breakfast might cause changes in our health,” said lead researcher James Betts from the University of Bath in Britain.

The results highlight some of these impacts, but “how important” breakfast is still really depends on the individual and their own personal goals, Betts added.

The team wanted to study the possible links between breakfast, body weight and health.

In the study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , researchers split obese individuals aged 21 to 60 into two groups: “fasting” and “breakfasting”, measuring several outcomes during a six-week period.

The “breakfasting” group was asked to eat at least 700 calories by 11 a.m., which the first half of the group consumed within at least two hours of waking up.

The fasting group was allowed only water until noon.

“For example, if weight loss is the key, there is little to suggest that just having breakfast or skipping it will matter. However, based on other markers of a healthy lifestyle, like being more active or controlling blood sugar levels, there is evidence that breakfast may help,” Betts noted.

It is important to bear in mind that not everybody responds in the same way to breakfast, and that not all breakfasts are equal.

“The effects of a sugary cereal, compared to a high-protein breakfast, are likely to be quite different,” said Enhad Chowdhury, another researcher.

Sleeping with a baby boosts breast-feeding

 

  

New mothers who bring their babies into their bed are more likely to carry on breastfeeding for longer, a new study found.

But those who go to the baby’s cot are more likely to stop breastfeeding before six months.

Breast milk is the healthiest way to feed a baby and the NHS recommends exclusive breastfeeding for around the first six months.

Thereafter giving the baby breast milk alongside other food help the babies continue to grow and develop healthily.

It said breastfed babies have less chance of diarrhoea and vomiting, fewer chest and ear infections, less likelihood of becoming obese and therefore developing type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses later in life.

Breast milk is the healthiest way to feed a baby and the NHS recommend exclusive breastfeeding for around the first six months 

They have fewer hospital visits and the longer breastfeed, the longer the protection lasts and the greater the benefits.

The Durham University study found those mothers who bed shared with their infant for at least an hour a week were more likely to carry on breast feeding past six months.

And those who expressed a desire to breast feed during pregnancy were more likely to bed share too.

Professor Helen Ball of the Parent-Infant Sleep Lab in the, Department of Anthropology said: “”We previously found that mothers who bed-share were twice as likely to breastfeed their baby for at least six months than mothers who began breastfeeding but didn’t bed-share.

“In this paper we show that mothers with the strongest intent to breastfeed are the ones who sleep with their babies the most.

“These mothers therefore need information on how to make bed-sharing while breastfeeding as safe as possible.

New mothers who bring their babies into their bed are more likely to carry on breastfeeding for longer, a new study found

“Women with strong motivation to breastfeed frequently bed-share.

“Given the complex relationship between bed-sharing and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) appropriate guidance balancing risk minimisation with support for breastfeeding mothers is crucial.”

The study published in Acta Paediatrica followed 678 women recruited at mid-pregnancy.

They were asked whether recommendations to avoid bed-sharing due to concerns such as SIDS may stop them from achieving their breastfeeding goals

The women provided weekly snapshots of breastfeeding and bed-sharing behaviour for 26 weeks following birth.

Bed-sharing at home was defined for at least one hour per week.

It found 299 women or 44 per cent “rarely” or “never” bed-shared, 192 or 28 per cent did so “intermittently” and 187 or 28 per cent did so “often.”

These three groups did not differ significantly in marital status, income, infant gestational age, maternal age or delivery mode.

Significantly more participants who bed-shared “often” reported strong prenatal breastfeeding intent at 70 per cent compared to 57 per cent and 56 per cent of women in the “intermittent” and “rare” bed-share groups.

They also attached high prenatal importance to breastfeeding at 95 per cent compared to 87 per cent and 82 per cent respectively.

Significantly more women who bed-shared frequently were breastfeeding at six months than those who intermittently or rarely bed-shared.