An apple a day might help keep bothersome menopause symptoms away
New study finds that higher intakes of certain fruits and vegetables may result in fewer menopause symptoms
February 19, 2020
Science Daily/The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables is known to benefit the human body in so many ways. Now a new study suggests that it may also play a role in lessening various menopause symptoms. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
Although hormone therapy has been proven to be an acceptable method for treatment of menopause-related symptoms for many women, the search for nonpharmacologic treatment options is ongoing, especially for women with certain risk factors and those who are not candidates for hormone therapy. Specifically, there has been a focus on identifying modifiable lifestyle factors that might prevent or alleviate menopause symptoms.
Previous studies have suggested that dietary factors may play a critical role in estrogen production, metabolism, and consequently, menopause symptoms. In particular, the consumption of fruits or a Mediterranean-style diet, characterized by a high content of vegetables, fruits, cereals, and nuts, was linked to fewer menopause symptoms and complaints. This new study goes a step further in looking at specific fruits and vegetables and their effects on various menopause symptoms.
Researchers concluded that, although some subgroups of fruits and vegetables had an inverse association with menopause symptoms, a higher intake of other subgroups appeared to be associated with more urogenital problems. Citrus fruits, for example, were called out as having an adverse effect on urogenital scores compared with other types of fruits, as were green leafy or dark yellow vegetables compared with other vegetables.
Study results appear in the article "Higher intakes of fruits and vegetables are related to fewer menopausal symptoms: a cross-sectional study."
"This small cross-sectional study provides some preliminary evidence regarding the influence of fruit and vegetable intake on menopause symptoms. There is ample evidence that a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables has a beneficial effect on health in a myriad of ways, but additional study is needed to determine whether various menopause symptoms may be affected by dietary choices," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200219124232.htm
Smelling your lover's shirt could improve your sleep
February 13, 2020
Science Daily/University of British Columbia
The scent of a romantic partner can improve sleep, suggests new psychology research from the University of British Columbia.
The researchers found that study participants who were exposed to their partner's scent overnight experienced better sleep quality, even though their partner was not physically present.
"Our findings provide new evidence that merely sleeping with a partner's scent improves sleep efficiency. Our participants had an average sleep efficiency improvement of more than two per cent," said Marlise Hofer, the study's lead author and a graduate student in the UBC department of psychology. "We saw an effect similar in size to what has been reported from taking oral melatonin supplements -- often used as a sleep aid."
For the study, the researchers analyzed sleep data from 155 participants who were given two identical-looking t-shirts to use as pillowcases -- one had been previously worn by their romantic partner, and the other had either been previously worn by a stranger or was clean.
To capture body odour on the t-shirts, the participants' partners were given a clean t-shirt to wear for 24 hours, and were asked to refrain from using deodorant and scented body products, smoking, exercising and eating certain foods that could affect their body odour. The t-shirts were then frozen to preserve their scent.
Each participant was then given two shirts to place over their pillows, without being told which one was which. They spent two consecutive nights sleeping with each t-shirt. Each morning, they completed a survey about how well-rested they felt. Their sleep quality was also objectively measured using an actigraphy sleep watch that monitored their movements throughout the night. At the end of the study, participants guessed if the shirts they had been sleeping with had previously been worn by their partner.
Participants reported feeling more well-rested on the nights when they believed they were sleeping with their partner's scent. Moreover, regardless of their beliefs about scent exposure, data from the sleep watches indicated that objective sleep improved when participants were actually exposed to their partner's scent.
"One of the most surprising findings is how a romantic partner's scent can improve sleep quality even outside of our conscious awareness," said Frances Chen, the study's senior author and associate professor in the UBC department of psychology. "The sleep watch data showed that participants experienced less tossing and turning when exposed to their partners' scent, even if they weren't aware of whose scent they were smelling."
The researchers say the physical presence of a long-term romantic partner is associated with positive health outcomes such as a sense of safety, calm and relaxation, which in turn leads to better sleep. By signalling recent physical proximity, the mere scent of a partner may have similar benefits.
Hofer says the research could pave the way for future work examining the efficacy of simple and effective methods of improving sleep, such as bringing a partner's shirt the next time you travel alone.
The researchers are currently recruiting participants for a pilot study to investigate whether the scent of parents can improve their infant's sleep quality.
The research findings have been accepted for publication in Psychological Science. The research was supported by an American Psychological Foundation Visionary Grant, a UBC graduate student research award and a Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grant.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200213091723.htm
If pregnant women use cosmetics containing parabens, this may have consequences
February 12, 2020
Science Daily/Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Parabens are used as preservatives in cosmetics. If pregnant women use cosmetics containing parabens that remain on the skin for protracted periods, this may have consequences for their child's subsequent weight development.
Parabens are used as preservatives in cosmetics. If pregnant women use cosmetics containing parabens that remain on the skin for protracted periods, this may have consequences for their child's subsequent weight development. This is demonstrated in a study published in the journal Nature Communications by researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in collaboration with colleagues from Leipzig University, Charité University Hospital in Berlin and the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH). Based on data from the LINA mother-child study, they were further able to identify epigenetic modifications that are triggered by parabens and interfere with the natural regulation of satiety in the brain.
Methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben -- these and similar are the names of parabens commonly used as preservatives. Substances that are used in creams and body lotions to combat microbes can have an undesirably side-effect, however. "If pregnant women absorb parabens through the skin, this can lead to overweight in their children," says UFZ environmental immunologist Dr Tobias Polte. The starting point for the investigations was the LINA mother-child cohort study, a long-term study conducted by the UFZ to examine the significance of environmental factors in sensitive periods of childhood development for the later occurrence of allergies and respiratory diseases or overweight. "We initially wanted to find out whether the parabens detected in urine from expectant mothers from the mother-child cohort had an impact on the development of their children's weight," explains former UFZ researcher Prof. Irina Lehmann, currently at the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) and at Charité -- Berlin University Hospital. "In doing so, we discovered a positive correlation between the concentrations of butylparaben in the mothers' urine and a higher body-mass index of their children -- particularly of the daughters -- until their eighth birthday."
In order to find out where the butylparabens in the pregnant women's urine came from in the first place, the researchers combed through the questionnaires completed by the participants in the LINA study for details of the cosmetics used during pregnancy. "Using the ToxFox app developed by BUND enabled us to easily and quickly check whether parabens were among the ingredients of the respective cosmetics products," Polte explains. "And high concentrations of parabens in the mothers' urine were indeed associated with the use of cosmetics containing parabens -- particularly those that remained on the skin for a protracted period of time, such as creams or body lotions."
But how does the use of creams containing parabens by expectant mothers tie in with the child's future overweight? To track down the underlying mechanisms, the team of researchers firstly used cell cultures to examine whether fat cells themselves react to high concentrations of butylparaben. "Butylparaben did not bring about an increase in the size of the fat cells, nor did the fat cells store more fat than otherwise," Lehmann reports. "It was evident that the differentiation of fat cells was not impacted by the parabens." Something else had to be behind the children's weight gain. In collaboration with colleagues from the Medical Faculty at Leipzig University, the researchers used a mouse model to simulate exposure to parabens during pregnancy. In this model, mice absorbed butylparabens through the skin. "Just as in the LINA study, the female offspring here also demonstrated increased weight gain," says Polte. "And they ate significantly more than the offspring of mice from the control group." Consequently, the researchers suspected that parabens might exert an influence on how hunger is regulated in the brain, and performed a closer examination of key genes in the hypothalamus of the mouse offspring.
It became apparent that a gene by the name of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) that is decisive in controlling the feeling of hunger was down-regulated in the brains of the young mice. Further investigations at a genetic level revealed that an epigenetic modification was responsible for this by preventing the corresponding POMC gene from being read. "The influence of parabens during gestation obviously gives rise to epigenetic modifications in the offspring that permanently disrupt the regulation of the natural feeling of satiety. This means that they have a higher food intake," Polte explains. Therefore, parabens seem to constitute as a risk factor during pregnancy for the occurrence of overweight. However, also other factors play an important role in weight gain, such as a hypercaloric diet and lack of exercise.
So far, the researchers have not been able to come to any conclusions on how stable the epigenetic modifications are or whether they can be passed on to the next generation. However, they are already able to make an unambiguous recommendation based on the findings so far: "Bearing in mind the future health of their children, expectant mothers really should use paraben-free products during the sensitive periods of pregnancy and breastfeeding," says Lehmann. Many cosmetics products are already declared to be paraben-free; otherwise, this information can be obtained from the list of ingredients or using the ToxFox app, for instance." The researchers will continue to search for further potential effects of parabens in future investigations. "Epigenetic modifications that relate to the regulation of satiety are only one possible end point," says Polte. "Intergenerational effects of environmental factors have often been underestimated to date. We hope that our research will help to focus greater attention on such factors in future."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200212111438.htm
Component of human breast milk enhances cognitive development in babies
February 12, 2020
Science Daily/Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Investigators show that early exposure to a carbohydrate found in breast milk, called 2'FL, positively influences neurodevelopment.
Maternal factors, such as breast milk, have been shown to affect a baby's development, and previous animal studies have determined that a carbohydrate, the oligosaccharide 2'FL found in maternal milk, positively influences neurodevelopment. Now, in the first study done in humans, investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles in collaboration with the University of California, San Diego, have shown that 2'FL found in breast milk enhances cognitive development. Findings will be published in PLOS ONE on Feb 12.
In this cohort study of 50 mothers and their babies, investigators analyzed breast milk composition and frequency of feeding at 1 and 6 months of age. Cognitive development was measured at 24 months using the Bayley-III scale, a standardized test of infant and toddler development. The study showed that the amount of 2'FL in breast milk in the first month of feeding was related to significantly higher cognitive development scores in babies by 2 years of age. The amount of 2'FL in breast milk at 6 months of feeding was not related to cognitive outcomes, indicating that early exposure may be more beneficial.
Many studies have reported a positive effect of breastfeeding on cognitive development. "We wanted to specifically identify what was causing this effect," said Michael Goran, PhD, Director of the Diabetes and Obesity Program at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and senior author on the study.
"Through our high-throughput analytical platform we can quantify oligosaccharides like 2'FL and many others in hundreds of breast milk samples in a short period of time," says study collaborator and co-author Lars Bode, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence at the University of California, San Diego. "This technology allows us to associate differences in milk composition with specific infant outcomes like cognitive development, validating existing data from preclinical models or generating entirely new hypotheses," Bode adds.
Using a statistical technique called mediation analysis, the investigators were able to independently evaluate the effects of breastfeeding in general, and the effects of the oligosaccharide 2'FL.
"This enhanced cognitive development in the first 2 years of life raises the question of possible long term impact on a child¬-in school and beyond," said Paige Berger, PhD, RD, a postdoctoral research associate at CHLA and the first author of the study.
These observations allowed the team to conclude that the increased neurodevelopment provided by breastfeeding was due primarily to mothers who were producing more 2'FL for the baby to consume.
"We know that there are many different compounds in breast milk and the composition is dynamic -- it changes over time and is highly variable between mothers," Dr. Goran said. "In addition to identifying the impact of oligosaccharide 2'FL, we also wanted to determine the timing of when it is most critical to a child's development."
While the investigators observed neuroenhancement explained by higher 2'FL during the first month of a baby's life, this effect was not observed when looking at 2'FL content of breast milk at the six-month time-point. Being able to identify factors critical to early neurodevelopment offers the possibility for supplementing women's breast milk in individuals who produce lower quantities of this important substance.
"For some women, breastfeeding is a challenge. For those that are not able to breastfeed or can only do so short-term, 2'FL could potentially be offered as an add-on to the nutrition their baby is receiving to better support cognitive development," said Dr. Berger.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200212150143.htm
A happy partner leads to a healthier future
February 11, 2020
Science Daily/Michigan State University
Michigan State University research found that those who are optimistic contribute to the health of their partners, staving off the risk factors leading to Alzheimer's disease, dementia and cognitive decline as they grow old together.
"We spend a lot of time with our partners," said William Chopik, assistant professor of psychology and co-author of the study. "They might encourage us to exercise, eat healthier or remind us to take our medicine. When your partner is optimistic and healthy, it can translate to similar outcomes in your own life. You actually do experience a rosier future by living longer and staving off cognitive illnesses."
An optimistic partner may encourage eating a salad or work out together to develop healthier lifestyles. For example, if you quit smoking or start exercising, your partner is close to following suit within a few weeks and months.
"We found that when you look at the risk factors for what predicts things like Alzheimer's disease or dementia, a lot of them are things like living a healthy lifestyle," Chopik said. "Maintaining a healthy weight and physical activity are large predictors. There are some physiological markers as well. It looks like people who are married to optimists tend to score better on all of those metrics."
The study, published in the Journal of Personality and co-authored by MSU graduate student Jeewon Oh and Eric Kim, a research scientist in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, followed nearly 4,500 heterosexual couples from the Health and Retirement Study for up to eight years. The researchers found a potential link between being married to an optimistic person and preventing the onset of cognitive decline, thanks to a healthier environment at home.
"There's a sense where optimists lead by example, and their partners follow their lead," Chopik said. "While there's some research on people being jealous of their partner's good qualities or on having bad reactions to someone trying to control you, it is balanced with other research that shows being optimistic is associated with perceiving your relationship in a positive light."
The research also indicated that when couples recall shared experiences together, richer details from the memories emerge. A recent example, Chopik explained, was Google's tearjerker Super Bowl ad, "Loretta," in which an elderly man uses his Google Assistant to help him remember details about his late wife.
"The things he was recollecting were positive things about his partner," Chopik said. "There is science behind the Google ad. Part of the types of memories being recalled were positive aspects of their relationship and personalities."
With all of its benefits, is optimism something that can be prescribed? While there is a heritable component to optimism, Chopik says there is some evidence to suggest that it's a trainable quality.
"There are studies that show people have the power to change their personalities, as long as they engage in things that make them change," Chopik said. "Part of it is wanting to change. There are also intervention programs that suggest you can build up optimism."
Across the board, everyone benefits from a healthy dose of optimism from their partner. For the glass-is-half-empty people, a partner can still quench their thirst. For the glass-is-half-full people? Their cup runneth over.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200211092555.htm
'Women my age tend to drink -- it's normal'
February 11, 2020
Science Daily/Edith Cowan University
New research has found that despite the potential health risks of exceeding national drinking guidelines, many middle-aged and young-old women who consume alcohol at high risk levels tend to perceive their drinking as normal and acceptable, so long as they appear respectable and in control.
Women aged 50-70 are more likely than younger women to consume alcohol at levels that exceed low risk drinking guidelines -- and most think that's just perfectly fine.
New Edith Cowan University (ECU) research has found that despite the potential health risks of exceeding national drinking guidelines, many middle-aged and young-old women who consume alcohol at high risk levels tend to perceive their drinking as normal and acceptable, so long as they appear respectable and in control.
The study is a collaboration between ECU and Aalborg University, Denmark, led by Dr Julie Dare from ECU's School of Medical and Health Sciences. It investigated the social construction of alcohol use among 49 women aged 50 to 69 in Denmark and Australia.
According to Australian health authorities, drinking more than two standard drinks on any day increases the risk considerably of premature death over a woman's lifetime.
Key findings:
Women place more importance on appearing to be in control, behaving respectably, social pleasure and feeling liberated than the quantity of alcohol consumed or potential health risks.
While some women reported reducing their drinking due to health concerns, others suggested that positive health behaviours such as exercise served to 'neutralise' alcohol-related health risks.
Health advice and interventions relating to middle-aged and young-old women's drinking practices need to acknowledge that women may socially construct their drinking practices to prioritise matters other than biomedical impacts of alcohol.
Controlled and acceptable drinking
Dr Dare said the research highlighted the widespread use of alcohol in both samples of women in Australia and Denmark.
"Respondents from both countries indicated that alcohol use among women their age was normal and acceptable," she said.
One respondent observed:
"It has become part of the norm . . . it is something we do with our acquaintances, friends and families. That's just something we do" (D8, 59 years).
"However, the importance of 'staying in control' while drinking emerged as an important qualifier to the social acceptability of drinking," Dr Dare said.
Another respondent said:
"As long as they (women) don't make a fool of themselves, they don't want to go falling down and showing their knickers" (A9, 69 years).
"Health messaging of no more than two standard drinks per day and no more than four standard drinks on any single drinking occasion didn't seem to be relevant to women in this age group. There was a fair percentage drinking over that," Dr Dare said.
"In Australia, younger women are starting to drink less, their rates have declined, but the proportion of women aged 60 and older drinking at levels that exceed single occasion guidelines (more than 4 standard drinks on a single occasion) has increased. Similar trends are evident in Denmark and the United Kingdom."
Cultural differences
While the study highlighted many similarities between Australian and Danish women, one interesting cultural difference was the way Australian women thought about alcohol in relation to stress.
"If the Australian women had some sort of distress in their lives they believed it was acceptable to drink. They were quite open about this saying 'I just had a bad day, I needed to have a drink'," Dr Dare said.
"Danish women were not the same. They reported it wasn't 'acceptable' to drink if they were upset. They believed that you shouldn't use alcohol as a crutch to cope," she said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200211103727.htm
Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy connected to elevated risk of ADHD
February 10, 2020
Science Daily/University of Turku
The risk of ADHD was 34 percent higher in children whose mother had a vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy than in those children whose mother's vitamin D level was sufficient during the first and second trimesters. The result was adjusted for maternal age, socioeconomic status and psychiatric history.
"Alongside genotype, prenatal factors such as vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy, can influence the development of ADHD" says MD Minna Sucksdorff from the University of Turku, Finland.
The study is the first population-level research to demonstrate an association between low maternal vitamin D level in early to mid-pregnancy and an elevated risk for diagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ADHD in the offspring.
The study included 1,067 children born between 1998 and 1999 diagnosed with ADHD in Finland and the same number of matched controls. The data was collected before the current national recommendation in Finland for the intake of vitamin D during pregnancy, which is 10 micrograms per day throughout the year.
Vitamin D deficiency still a problem
The primary investigator, Professor Andre Sourander says that, despite the recommendations, vitamin D deficiency is still a global problem. In Finland, for example, mothers' vitamin D intake among several immigrant groups is not at a sufficient level.
"This research offers strong evidence that a low level of vitamin D during pregnancy is related to attention deficiency in offspring. As ADHD is one of the most common chronic diseases in children, the research results have a great significance for public health" says Professor Sourander.
The study is part of a larger research project that aims to discover the connections between the mother's health during pregnancy and ADHD in offspring. The goal is to produce information for developing preventative treatments and measures for identifying children with ADHD risk.
The study was done in collaboration between researchers from the University of Turku, Finland, and Columbia University, New York and it was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health NIHM (USA) and the Academy of Finland, and it is part of the INVEST flagship programme of the University of Turku.
In the study, the researchers used the exceptionally comprehensive Finnish Maternity Cohort (FMC) consisting of approximately 2 million serum specimens collected during the first and early second trimester of pregnancy.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200210104120.htm
Why eating yogurt may help lessen the risk of breast cancer
Science Daily/Lancaster University
One of the causes of breast cancer may be inflammation triggered by harmful bacteria suggest researchers. Scientists advise consuming natural yogurt, which contains beneficial bacteria which dampens inflammation and which is similar to the bacteria found in breastfeeding mothers. Their suggestion is that this bacteria is protective because breast feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer. The consumption of yogurt is also associated with a reduction in the risk of breast cancer.
Scientists say their idea- as yet unproven -- is supported by the available evidence, which is that bacterial induced inflammation is linked to cancer.
The paper in the journal Medical Hypotheses is by Lancaster University medical student Auday Marwaha, Professor Jim Morris from the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust and Dr Rachael Rigby from Lancaster University's Faculty of Health and Medicine.
The researchers say that: "There is a simple, inexpensive potential preventive remedy; which is for women to consume natural yoghurt on a daily basis."
Yoghurt contains beneficial lactose fermenting bacteria commonly found in milk, similar to the bacteria -- or microflora- found in the breasts of mothers who have breastfed.
Dr Rigby said: "We now know that breast milk is not sterile and that lactation alters the microflora of the breast.
"Lactose fermenting bacteria are commonly found in milk and are likely to occupy the breast ducts of women during lactation and for an unknown period after lactation."
Their suggestion is that this lactose fermenting bacteria in the breast is protective because each year of breast feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer by 4.3%.
Several other studies have shown that the consumption of yoghurt is associated with a reduction in the risk of breast cancer, which the researchers suggest may be due to the displacement of harmful bacteria by beneficial bacteria.
There are approximately 10 billion bacterial cells in the human body and while most are harmless, some bacteria create toxins which trigger inflammation in the body.
Chronic inflammation destroys the harmful germs but it also damages the body. One of the most common inflammatory conditions is gum disease or periodontitis which has already been linked to oral, oesophageal, colonic, pancreatic, prostatic and breast cancer.
The researchers conclude that: "The stem cells which divide to replenish the lining of the breast ducts are influenced by the microflora, and certain components of the microflora have been shown in other organs, such as the colon and stomach, to increase the risk of cancer development.
"Therefore a similar scenario is likely to be occurring in the breast, whereby resident microflora impact on stem cell division and influence cancer risk."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200124073857.htm
Skin-to-skin contact do not improve interaction between mother and preterm infant
January 23, 2020
Science Daily/Linköping University
Following a premature birth it is important that the parents and the infant quickly establish a good relationship. Researchers at Linköping University have studied the relationship between mothers and infants who have continuous skin-to-skin contact during the entire period from birth to discharge from the hospital. The results show that continuous skin-to-skin contact does not lead to better interaction between the mother and the infant. The study is published in the scientific journal Advances in Neonatal Care.
Every year some 15 million infants worldwide are born prematurely. Because the infants often require intensive care, it is common that they are separated from their parents, which can negatively affect the attachment between mother and infant.
For the parents, this separation can result in guilt and a sense of emptiness at not being able to be close to their newborn child. For the infant, losing closeness to the parents is one of the largest stress factors in early life. But skin-to-skin care against the parent's chest, instead of care in an incubator, can reduce stress.
"Skin-to-skin contact between parent and infant has proved to have positive effects for the infant's development -- but there are no clear results regarding the effect on the interaction between mother and infant. Which is why we wanted to study this," says Charlotte Sahlén Helmer, doctoral student at Linköping University, Sweden.
In the study, the researchers investigated the interaction between mothers and infants born prematurely -- between weeks 32 and 36. The study was carried out at two Swedish hospitals, where the parents are able to be with their infant around the clock. Thirty-one families took part. The families were split into two groups: one where the mother was to give the infant continuous SSC from birth until discharge, and one where the mother was to give the infant as much or as little SSC as she wanted to, or was able to.
After four months, the researchers followed up how the mothers interacted with their preterm infants. They found no significant differences in interaction between the continuous and the intermittent skin-to-skin contact groups. As regards the mother's attachment to the infant, the researchers could not see that skin-to-skin contact had any effect in terms of e.g. the mother's acceptance of or sensitivity to the infant. Nor was there a correlation between the number of hours of skin-to-skin contact and the quality of the interaction.
"Some people say that skin-to-skin contact automatically results in good attachment between mother and infant. Our study shows that this may not be the case. It may be a relief for the parents who are not able to keep their infant against their skin around the clock, to know that they can still have good interaction. But these results must be followed up with further studies," says Charlotte Sahlén Helmer.
The study is part of a larger project investigating the effects of skin-to-skin contact in preterm infants.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200123095901.htm
Hot flashes impair memory performance
New study suggests hot flashes may alter hippocampal and prefrontal cortex function to decrease verbal memory
January 23, 2020
Science Daily/The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
If you're having difficulty identifying the right word to express yourself clearly or remembering a story correctly, you may blame menopause. A new study suggests that physiologic hot flashes are associated with decreased verbal memory and with alterations in brain function during encoding and retrieval of memory, especially in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Study results are published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
Previous studies have already shown that women experience a decline in memory for verbal material, such as words and stories, as they transition through menopause. In this new study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to document the occurrence of physiologic hot flashes and their specific effect on hippocampal and prefrontal cortex function during encoding and recognition conditions of a memory task. The strengths of this study are in the use of physiologic hot flash monitoring to confirm the hot flash versus relying on patient recall and the use of functional MRI to specifically evaluate real-time changes occurring within the brain during the memory testing.
Although larger studies are needed to fully evaluate the reliability of the relationship between hot flashes and altered brain function, this study provides new insights into specific areas in the brain involved in memory that appear to be adversely affected by hot flashes.
The study results appear in the article "Hot flashes are associated with altered brain function during a memory task."
"The findings of this preliminary study, although small, support an association between objectively monitored hot flashes and adverse functional changes in the brain that affect memory. Further study is needed to determine whether hot flashes actually cause these brain changes and whether treatment of hot flashes will prevent or normalize them," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200123095859.htm
Maternal depression and atopic dermatitis in children linked
January 21, 2020
Science Daily/George Washington University
A recent study suggests that maternal depression in the postpartum period, and even beyond, is associated with the development of atopic dermatitis throughout childhood and adolescence.
Maternal depression in the postpartum period, and even beyond, is associated with the development of atopic dermatitis (AD) throughout childhood and adolescence, according to a recent study published in the journal Dermatitis.
AD is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease typically characterized by itch, pain, and sleep disturbance. It has also been strongly linked to a number of mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.
The study, led by Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor of dermatology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, examined the association of maternal depression in the postpartum period, and maternal and paternal depression in later childhood with AD in U.S. children and adolescents.
Silverberg conducted the data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in collaboration with first author Costner McKenzie, a medical student at Northwestern.
"We know that emotional factors can exacerbate AD flares and influence the course of the disease," said Silverberg, the senior author of the study. "Previous studies have shown that family environment and other environmental factors can have an impact on AD."
The researchers analyzed data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. They found that postpartum depression was associated with higher odds of AD developing later in childhood, more persistent AD, and increased sleep disturbance among children with AD.
"Our results further suggest that postpartum depression is associated with AD even in older children and adolescents, with more persistent disease and greater sleep disturbance," Silverberg said. "This could potentially suggest more severe AD."
Continued research is needed, according to the researchers, to confirm the associations found, determine underlying mechanisms, and identify appropriate interventions. The authors of the study suggest that pediatricians should consider screening and early intervention for postpartum depression to identify infants at higher risk for AD.
Children born to mothers with depression in the postpartum period and beyond may warrant increased screening for AD and atopic disease, as well as use of gentle skin care and other strategies to mitigate AD.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200121133312.htm
Having less sex linked to earlier menopause
January 14, 2020
Science Daily/University College London
Women who engage in sexual activity weekly or monthly have a lower risk of entering menopause early relative to those who report having some form of sex less than monthly, according to a new UCL study.
The researchers observed that women, who reported engaging in sexual activity weekly, were 28% less likely to have experienced menopause at any given age than women who engaged in sexual activity less than monthly. Sexual activity includes sexual intercourse, oral sex, sexual touching and caressing or self-stimulation.
The research, published in Royal Society Open Science, is based on data from the USA's Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). It's the largest, most diverse and most representative longitudinal cohort study available to research aspects of the menopause transition.
First author on the study, PhD candidate Megan Arnot (UCL Anthropology), said: "The findings of our study suggest that if a woman is not having sex, and there is no chance of pregnancy, then the body 'chooses' not to invest in ovulation, as it would be pointless. There may be a biological energetic trade-off between investing energy into ovulation and investing elsewhere, such as keeping active by looking after grandchildren.
"The idea that women cease fertility in order to invest more time in their family is known as the Grandmother Hypothesis, which predicts that the menopause originally evolved in humans to reduce reproductive conflict between different generations of females, and allow women to increase their inclusive fitness through investing in their grandchildren."
During ovulation, the woman's immune function is impaired, making the body more susceptible to disease. Given a pregnancy is unlikely due to a lack of sexual activity, then it would not be beneficial to allocate energy to a costly process, especially if there is the option to invest resources into existing kin.
The research is based on data collected from 2,936 women, recruited as the baseline cohort for the SWAN study in 1996/1997.
The mean age at first interview was 45 years old. Non-Hispanic Caucasian women were most represented in the sample (48%), and the majority of women were educated to above a high school level. On average they had two children, were mostly married or in a relationship (78%), and living with their partner (68%).
The women were asked to respond to several questions, including whether they had engaged in sex with their partner in the past six months, the frequency of sex including whether they engaged in sexual intercourse, oral sex, sexual touching or caressing in the last six months and whether they had engaged in self-stimulation in the past six months. The most frequent pattern of sexual activity was weekly (64%).
None of the women had yet entered menopause, but 46% were in early peri-menopause (starting to experience menopause symptoms, such as changes in period cycle and hot flashes) and 54% were pre-menopausal (having regular cycles and showing no symptoms of peri-menopause or menopause).
Interviews were carried out over a ten-year follow-up period, during which 1,324 (45%) of the 2,936 women experienced a natural menopause at an average age of 52.
By modelling the relationship between sexual frequency and the age of natural menopause, women of any age who had sex weekly had a hazard ratio of 0.72, whereas women of any age who had sex monthly had a hazard ratio of 0.81.
This provided a likelihood whereby women of any age who had sex weekly were 28% less likely to experience the menopause compared to those who had sex less than monthly. Likewise, those who had sex monthly were 19% less likely to experience menopause at any given age compared to those who had sex less than monthly.
The researchers controlled for characteristics including oestrogen level, education, BMI, race, smoking habits, age at first occurrence of menstruation, age at first interview and overall health.
The study also tested whether living with a male partner affected menopause as a proxy to test whether exposure to male pheromones delayed menopause. The researchers found no correlation, regardless of whether the male was present in the household or not. Last author, Professor Ruth Mace (UCL Anthropology), added: "The menopause is, of course, an inevitability for women, and there is no behavioural intervention that will prevent reproductive cessation. Nonetheless, these results are an initial indication that menopause timing may be adaptive in response to the likelihood of becoming pregnant."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200114224451.htm
Miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy may trigger long-term post-traumatic stress
January 14, 2020
Science Daily/Imperial College London
One in six women experience long-term post-traumatic stress following miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
This is the finding of the largest ever study into the psychological impact of early-stage pregnancy loss, from scientists at Imperial College London and KU Leuven in Belgium.
The research, published in the journal American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, studied over 650 women who had experienced an early pregnancy loss, of whom the majority had suffered an early miscarriage (defined as pregnancy loss before 12 weeks), or an ectopic pregnancy (where an embryo starts to grow outside the womb and is not viable).
The study revealed that one month following pregnancy loss, nearly a third of women (29 per cent) suffered post-traumatic stress while one in four (24 per cent) experienced moderate to severe anxiety, and one in ten (11 per cent) had moderate to severe depression.
Nine months later, 18 per cent of women had post-traumatic stress, 17 per cent moderate to severe anxiety, and 6 per cent had moderate to severe depression.
The team behind the research, funded by the Imperial Health Charity and the Imperial NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, call for immediate improvements in the care women receive following an early-stage pregnancy loss.
Professor Tom Bourne, lead author of the research from Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research at Imperial College London said: "Pregnancy loss affects up to one in two women, and for many women it will be the most traumatic event in their life. This research suggests the loss of a longed-for child can leave a lasting legacy, and result in a woman still suffering post-traumatic stress nearly a year after her pregnancy loss."
Professor Bourne, who is also a Consultant Gynaecologist, added: "The treatment women receive following early pregnancy loss must change to reflect its psychological impact, and recent efforts to encourage people to talk more openly about this very common issue are a step in the right direction. Whilst general support and counselling will help many women, those with significant post-traumatic stress symptoms require specific treatment if they are going to recover fully. This is not widely available, and we need to consider screening women following an early pregnancy loss so we can identify those who most need help."
The research follows an earlier pilot study in 2016, which investigated the psychological impact of early-stage pregnancy loss in 128 women one and three months after miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
One in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage -- most often before or around 12 weeks. Estimates suggest there are 250,000 miscarriages every year in the UK, and around 11,000 emergency admissions for ectopic pregnancies. The latter always result in pregnancy loss, as an embryo grows in an area outside of the womb and is unable to develop.
In the study 537 women had suffered a miscarriage before 12 weeks of pregnancy, while 116 had suffered an ectopic pregnancy.
The women in the study attended the Early Pregnancy Assessment Units at three London hospitals -- Queen Charlottes and Chelsea, St Mary's, and Chelsea and Westminster.
All were asked to complete questionnaires about their emotions and behaviour one month after pregnancy loss, then again three and nine months later.
Their responses were compared to 171 women who had healthy pregnancies. The results revealed the latter women's levels of psychological symptoms were significantly lower than those found in women who had suffered early pregnancy loss.
The women in the study who met the criteria for post-traumatic stress reported regularly re-experiencing the feelings associated with the pregnancy loss, and suffering intrusive or unwanted thoughts about their miscarriage. Some women also reported having nightmares or flashbacks, while others avoided anything that might remind them of their loss.
The authors caution the study used a questionnaire for screening for post-traumatic stress, but formal diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder would require a clinical interview.
The team also explain that women who were already experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression may have been more likely to respond to the questionnaire, which could mean the number of women suffering psychological symptoms may appear higher.
However, they add that the fact that such a large proportion were experiencing symptoms suggests many women could be suffering in silence. Dr Jessica Farren, first author of the research from Imperial College, and Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, said: "Post-traumatic stress can have a toxic effect on all elements of a person's life -- affecting work, home and relationships."
"We have made significant progress in recent years in breaking the silence around mental health issues in pregnancy and postnatally, but early pregnancy losses are still shrouded in secrecy, with very little acknowledgement of how distressing and profound an event they are. Many women don't tell colleagues, friends or family they are pregnant before the 12-week scan, leaving them feeling unable to discuss their emotions if they suffer a pregnancy loss. We also know partners can suffer psychological distress following miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, and are investigating this in ongoing research."
The team's research will also now focus on identifying which women are at risk of developing psychological symptoms after pregnancy loss, the impact of early pregnancy loss on partners and also the best type of treatments and how to deliver these.
Ian Lush, Chief Executive of Imperial Health Charity, said: "As the dedicated charity for the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust hospitals, we are committed to supporting pioneering research that leads to real improvements in patient care through our annual research fellowships programme. "Dr Farren's study clearly shows that a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy can have profound and long-lasting impacts on women's mental health and we look forward to seeing how this important research can be translated into better care for patients and their families in the future."
Jane Brewin, Chief Executive of Tommy's comments, said: "For too long women have not received the care they need following a miscarriage and this research shows the scale of the problem. Miscarriage services need to be changed to ensure they are available to everyone, and women are followed up to assess their mental wellbeing with support being offered to those who need it, and advice is routinely given to prepare for a subsequent pregnancy."
Kate Rawson, an actor and playwright, experienced two miscarriages in 2014 and 2015, one at 8 weeks and one at 11 weeks. She has written a radio play about recurrent miscarriage called Little Blue Lines. Here she discusses her experience:
"After my first miscarriage I was numb. I did not know how to react or who to approach. I did not know if it was grief that I was feeling, or if that was even a valid response to have about losing something so 'small'. So I tried to believe reassuring words ('it's not your fault; you can try again; you've got time; it's just one of those things.')
The second time it happened I knew something was wrong immediately, just a faint pink patch in my pants, a slight cramping feeling. Then dread and anxiety at what was to come, and guilt at what I could have done to cause it; sadness for myself, but also my husband, my family, my friends who would have to do all those sad faces and texts and calls again. The physical miscarriage was a huge shock, one I was absolutely not prepared for and I will never forget it.
I tried to 'move on' as advised. 'Trying again' was full of anxiety that got worse when I fell pregnant for the third time. Happily that resulted in a healthy full term birth, but the first trimester was extremely stressful, for both myself and my husband. I struggled to keep perspective and flitted between wanting this baby more than anything else to wishing I would just bleed and get the awful thing over with and my life back.
It was only after my son was born I realized the enormity of what I had been through, and the need to process it -- there are support groups at my hospital now but there was nothing available to me at the time -- so I wrote about it."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200114224449.htm
When pregnant moms are stressed out, babies' brains suffer
65% of moms of fetuses with heart conditions are stressed, but so are 27% of future moms with uncomplicated pregnancies
January 13, 2020
Science Daily/Children's National Hospital
Knowing that your unborn fetus has congenital heart disease causes such pronounced maternal stress, anxiety and depression that these women's fetuses end up with impaired development in key brain regions before they are born, according to research published online Jan. 13, 2020, in JAMA Pediatrics.
While additional research is needed, the Children's National Hospital study authors say their unprecedented findings underscore the need for universal screening for psychological distress as a routine part of prenatal care and taking other steps to support stressed-out pregnant women and safeguard their newborns' developing brains.
"We were alarmed by the high percentage of pregnant women with a diagnosis of a major fetal heart problem who tested positive for stress, anxiety and depression," says Catherine Limperopoulos, Ph.D., director of the Center for the Developing Brain at Children's National and the study's corresponding author. "Equally concerning is how prevalent psychological distress is among pregnant women generally. We report for the first time that this challenging prenatal environment impairs regions of the fetal brain that play a major role in learning, memory, coordination, and social and behavioral development, making it all the more important for us to identify these women early during pregnancy to intervene," Limperopoulos adds.
Congenital heart disease (CHD), structural problems with the heart, is the most common birth defect.
Still, it remains unclear how exposure to maternal stress impacts brain development in fetuses with CHD.
The multidisciplinary study team enrolled 48 women whose unborn fetuses had been diagnosed with CHD and 92 healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Using validated screening tools, they found:
65% of pregnant women expecting a baby with CHD tested positive for stress
27% of women with uncomplicated pregnancies tested positive for stress
44% of pregnant women expecting a baby with CHD tested positive for anxiety
26% of women with uncomplicated pregnancies tested positive for anxiety
29% of pregnant women expecting a baby with CHD tested positive for depression and
9% women with uncomplicated pregnancies tested positive for depression
All told, they performed 223 fetal magnetic resonance imaging sessions for these 140 fetuses between 21 and 40 weeks of gestation. They measured brain volume in cubic centimeters for the total brain as well as volumetric measurements for key regions such as the cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, and left and right hippocampus.
Maternal stress and anxiety in the second trimester were associated with smaller left hippocampi and smaller cerebellums only in pregnancies affected by fetal CHD. What's more, specific regions -- the hippocampus head and body and the left cerebellar lobe -- were more susceptible to stunted growth. The hippocampus is key to memory and learning, while the cerebellum controls motor coordination and plays a role in social and behavioral development.
The hippocampus is a brain structure that is known to be very sensitive to stress. The timing of the CHD diagnosis may have occurred at a particularly vulnerable time for the developing fetal cerebellum, which grows faster than any other brain structure in the second half of gestation, particularly in the third trimester.
"None of these women had been screened for prenatal depression or anxiety. None of them were taking medications. And none of them had received mental health interventions. In the group of women contending with fetal CHD, 81% had attended college and 75% had professional educations, so this does not appear to be an issue of insufficient resources," Limperopoulos adds. "It's critical that we routinely to do these screenings and provide pregnant women with access to interventions to lower their stress levels. Working with our community partners, Children's National is doing just that to help reduce toxic prenatal stress for both the health of the mother and for the future newborns. We hope this becomes standard practice elsewhere."
Adds Yao Wu, Ph.D., a research associate working with Limperopoulos at Children's National and the study's lead author: "Our next goal is exploring effective prenatal cognitive behavioral interventions to reduce psychological distress felt by pregnant women and improve neurodevelopment in babies with CHD."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200113111143.htm
Antibodies derived from mom's gut microbes
Research in mice shows antibodies derived from mom's gut microbes protect newborns from E. coli infection
Science Daily/January 8, 2020
Harvard Medical School
Newborn mice derive protective antibodies from their mothers' microbiota. Antibodies derived from mothers' microbiota ward off both localized and widespread systemic infections by the bacterium E. coli. Study points to the role of maternal microbes in offspring protection and neonatal immunity. Findings can inform development of microbe-based therapies against infectious diarrhea in infants.
Mother's milk has been long touted for its salutary effects on the newborn and its ability to shield infants from certain infections.
Now research from Harvard Medical School conducted in mice shows that at least part of its protective effects come from a surprising source: the microbes residing in maternal intestines.
The new study, published Jan. 8 in Nature, shows that antibodies made in response to one particular organism in the maternal gut are passed on to the offspring both via milk and through the placenta to protect newborn pups from infection by at least one disease-causing, and potentially lethal, microbe, E. coli.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence pointing to the potent role of the microbiota -- the trillions of microbes that dwell in the gut, skin, mouth and other parts of the bodies of mammals, including humans -- in disease and health.
But the new research goes a step further -- it specifically identifies maternal microbiota as source of newborn immunity. It further suggests that the intestinal microbiota could offer immune protection even when mothers have had no prior encounters with an infection that allows them to build and pass on protective antibodies to their offspring.
"Our results help explain why newborns are protected from certain disease-causing microbes despite their underdeveloped immune systems and lack of prior encounters with these microbes," said study senior investigator Dennis Kasper, professor of immunology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School. "Moreover, they raise the possibility that mothers can confer immune protection to their offspring even to pathogens that they haven't themselves encountered in the past."
If affirmed through further studies, the findings could inform the design of microbial therapies against dangerous infections such as E. coli and other disease-causing organisms, the researchers said.
"Albeit preliminary, we are hopeful these insights could inform the development of vaccines derived from commensal microbial molecules as a way to prevent infectious diseases," said Kasper, who is also the William Ellery Channing Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "Another therapeutic avenue could be the use of commensal microbes as probiotics that protect against diarrheal disease."
Infectious diarrhea -- most commonly due to E. coli or rotavirus -- is the leading cause of malnutrition and the second leading cause of death globally in children under age 5. It causes 1.7 billion infections and claims more than 520,000 lives a year worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Without any prior exposure to microbes, a newborn's immune system is a blank slate. For the first three weeks, a newborn's immune protection is derived entirely from maternal antibodies passed onto the fetus during pregnancy via the placenta, during birth via the birth canal, and shortly after birth via breastfeeding.
In the current study, researchers worked with newborn mice genetically engineered to lack B cells -- the antibody-producing factories of the immune system. Some of the newborn mice were subsequently raised by mothers that were also born without antibody-making B cells, and therefore, lacked protective antibodies. The other newborn mice were raised by mothers that had normal immune systems.
Mice exposed to protective antibodies from their mothers were far more resistant to E. coli infection than mice that were not exposed to such antibodies. It was as if the pups repelled the pathogen, the researchers observed. Indeed, their intestines had 33 times fewer E. coli bacteria than newborn mice lacking maternal antibodies. By contrast, mice pups that were not exposed to protective antibodies developed disseminated E. coli disease.
The researchers were also able to pinpoint the specific organism responsible for inducing the formation of the protective antibodies -- a microbe called Pantoea, member of the Enterobacteriaceae bacterial family, which resides in the intestines of mice and other mammals, including humans.
Furthermore, the experiments showed that the antibodies enter both the intestines and bloodstream of newborns via the neonatal Fc receptor, a molecular channel on the placenta that helps ferry protective antibodies from the mother to the growing fetus. Thus far, the receptor has been known to transfer antibodies through the placenta. However, the experiments conducted in the new study show this receptor also absorbs antibodies derived from milk and ferries them from the intestines and into the bloodstream of the newborn mice, ensuring wider, systemic protection beyond the gut. Adult mice, in which this neonatal receptor loses its function with age, did not transfer protective antibodies from their gut to the bloodstream, the experiments showed.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200108131659.htm
Half of women with heart failure get the wrong treatment
January 6, 2020
Science Daily/The University of Bergen
More women than men die of heart failure. The reason is that only 50 per cent of the heart failure cases among women are caused by having a heart attack, which can be treated with modern methods.
For the other 50 per cent of women experiencing heart failure the cause is generally related to having untreated high blood pressure levels over time, which leads to progressive stiffening of the heart. There is no effective treatment for this kind of heart failure yet.
"Men and women have different biologies and this results in different types of the same heart diseases. It is about time to recognise these differences," says Professor Eva Gerdts, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen.
"Another important point concerning how to avoid heart disease is to ask about what the national health service is doing on this issue. Heart disease remains among the most common cause of death and reduced quality of life in women. Medically speaking, we still do not know what the best treatment for heart- attack or -failure is in many women. It is an unacceptable situation," Gerdts claims.
Gerdts has recently published an invited review paper in Naturetogether with Professor Vera Regitz-Zagrosek ved Charité Universitätsmedizin.
The researchers have compared common risk factors for heart disease and how these affect men and women differently. They have, among other things, focused on the sex differences in the effect of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Women gain more weight
According to The World Health Organization (WHO) 11 per cent women and 15 per cent men are obese (BMI over 30 kg/ m2) globally. In Norway one in five adults are obese.
"If we see this from a life span perspective, we can see that obesity increases with age, and that this trend is greater for women than men. Obesity increases the risk of having high blood pressure by a factor of three. This, in turn, increases the risk of heart disease," Gerdts points out.
According to Gerdts, obesity also increases the risk of diabetes 2. A woman with diabetes has a much higher relative risk of heart complications and death than a man.
"We know that women with diabetes 2 are usually obese and some of this fat is stored in the heart, which makes it more vulnerable for disease."
Oestrogen influence heart risk
Gerdts explains that many of the differences between woman and men when it comes to heart disease are connected to the sex hormone, oestrogen. The hormone prevents the formation of connective tissue in the heart, which makes it harder for the heart to pump. In men the effects are the opposite.
"We see that obese men store oestrogen in their fat cells in the abdomen, which has a bad effect on the heart."
After menopause, women lose the oestrogen advantage. Their arteries becomes stiffer and more vulnerable for disease. We see this in the fact that for persons under 60, high blood pressure is most common amongst men. For persons over 60, it is the opposite.
"We think that this is part of the explanation for why high blood pressure seems to indicate higher risk of heart disease amongst women."
Women smoke more
In addition, smoking is also a part of the risk scenario for women. During the past decades, more women have started smoking than men.
"Many women start smoking to reduce their appetite and to control their weight. However, this is not a good choice from a health perspective."
"For women, the effects of risk factors such as smoking, obesity and high blood pressure increase after menopause," says Eva Gerdts.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200106103444.htm
Moms' obesity in pregnancy is linked to lag in sons' development and IQ
December 23, 2019
Science Daily/Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
A mother's obesity in pregnancy can affect her child's development years down the road, according to researchers who found lagging motor skills in preschoolers and lower IQ in middle childhood for boys whose mothers were severely overweight while pregnant. A team of epidemiologists, nutritionists and environmental health researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the University of Texas at Austin and found that the differences are comparable to the impact of lead exposure in early childhood. The findings are published in BMC Pediatrics.
The researchers studied 368 mothers and their children, all from similar economic circumstances and neighborhoods, during pregnancy and when the children were 3 and 7 years of age. At age 3, the researchers measured the children's motor skills and found that maternal obesity during pregnancy was strongly associated with lower motor skills in boys. At age 7, they again measured the children and found that the boys whose mothers were overweight or obese in pregnancy had scores 5 or more points lower on full-scale IQ tests, compared to boys whose mothers had been at a normal weight. No effect was found in the girls.
"What's striking is, even using different age-appropriate developmental assessments, we found these associations in both early and middle childhood, meaning these effects persist over time," said Elizabeth Widen, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at UT Austin and a co-author. "These findings aren't meant to shame or scare anyone. We are just beginning to understand some of these interactions between mothers' weight and the health of their babies."
It is not altogether clear why obesity in pregnancy would affect a child later, though previous research has found links between a mother's diet and cognitive development, such as higher IQ scores in kids whose mothers have more of certain fatty acids found in fish. Dietary and behavioral differences may be driving factors, or fetal development may be affected by some of the things that tend to happen in the bodies of people with a lot of extra weight, such as inflammation, metabolic stress, hormonal disruptions and high amounts of insulin and glucose.
The researchers controlled for several factors in their analysis, including race and ethnicity, marital status, the mother's education and IQ, as well as whether the children were born prematurely or exposed to environmental toxic chemicals like air pollution. What the pregnant mothers ate or whether they breastfed were not included in the analysis.
The team also examined and accounted for the nurturing environment in a child's home, looking at how parents interacted with their children and if the child was provided with books and toys. A nurturing home environment was found to lessen the negative effects of obesity.
According to Widen and senior author Andrew Rundle, DrPH, associate professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School, while the results showed that the effect on IQ was smaller in nurturing home environments, it was still there.
This is not the first study to find that boys appear to be more vulnerable in utero. Earlier research found lower performance IQ in boys but not girls whose mothers were exposed to lead, and a 2019 study suggested boys whose moms had fluoride in pregnancy scored lower on an IQ assessment.
Because childhood IQ is a predictor of education level, socio-economic status and professional success later in life, researchers say there is potential for impacts to last into adulthood.
The research team advised women who are obese or overweight when they become pregnant to eat a well-balanced diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, take a prenatal vitamin, stay active and make sure to get enough fatty acids such as the kind found in fish oil. Giving children a nurturing home environment also matters, as does seeing a doctor regularly, including during pregnancy to discuss weight gain. Working with your doctor and talking about what is appropriate for your circumstances are recommended.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191223122808.htm
Mothers' and babies' brains 'more in tune' when mother is happy
December 17, 2019
Science Daily/University of Cambridge
Mothers' and babies' brains can work together as a 'mega-network' by synchronising brain waves when they interact. The level of connectivity of the brain waves varies according to the mum's emotional state: when mothers express more positive emotions their brain becomes much more strongly connected with their baby's brain. This may help the baby to learn and its brain to develop.
The research, published in the journal NeuroImage, used a method called dual electroencephalograhy (EEG) to look at brain signals in both mums and babies while they were interacting with each other. They found that mums and babies tend to synchronise their brain waves -- an effect known as interpersonal neural connectivity -- particularly in the frequency of 6-9 hertz, the infant alpha range.
By looking at the qualities and structure of the interpersonal neural connectivity using a mathematical method of network analysis, the researchers could see how information flowed within each separate brain, and also how the two brains operated together as a network.
Mothers and babies tend to spend a lot of time together in a positive emotional state, in which their brains are very connected. The study found that positive interaction, with lots of eye contact, enhances the ability of mother and infant brains to operate as a single system. This promotes efficient sharing and flow of information between mother and infant.
"From our previous work, we know that when the neural connection between mothers and babies is strong, babies are more receptive and ready to learn from their mothers," said Dr Vicky Leong in the University of Cambridge's Department of Psychology, who led the study. "At this stage of life, the baby brain has the ability to change significantly, and these changes are driven by the baby's experiences. By using a positive emotional tone during social interactions, parents can connect better with their infants, and stimulate development of their baby's mental capacity."
The results also suggest that babies of depressed mothers may show less evidence of learning because of a weakened neural connection between mother and infant. Mothers who experience a persistently low or negative mental state due to clinical depression tend to have less interaction with their baby. Their speech is often flatter in tone, they make much less eye contact, and they are less likely to respond when their baby tries to get their attention.
"Our emotions literally change the way that our brains share information with others -- positive emotions help us to communicate in a much more efficient way," said Dr Leong. "Depression can have a powerfully negative effect on a parent's ability to establish connections with their baby. All the social cues that normally foster connection are less readily available to the child, so the child doesn't receive the optimal emotional input it needs to thrive."
Emotional communication between parents and their children is crucial during early life, yet little is known about its neural underpinnings. This is the first brain imaging study of two related individuals to investigate if and how babies' interpersonal neural connectivity with their mothers is affected by the emotional quality of their social interaction.
As a social species, humans share emotional states with others. This work shows how emotions change the connection between two individuals at a neural level. The researchers say that their findings apply to many other types of affiliative bond, including between couples, close friends, and siblings, where each person is highly attuned to the other. The strength of the effect is likely to depend on how well the two people know each other and the level of trust between them.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191217105210.htm
The effect of taking antidepressants during pregnancy
Early exposure to antidepressants changes sensory processing in the brain
December 16, 2019
Science Daily/Society for Neuroscience
Exposure to antidepressants during pregnancy and the first weeks of life can alter sensory processing well into adulthood, according to research in mice.
Physicians are increasingly prescribing a common antidepressant to their pregnant patients, even though the effect on the fetus isn't fully known. A working theory of depression implicates the neurotransmitter serotonin because many depressed patients experience relief when prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Whatever its role in depression, serotonin is critical for healthy brain development and function.
While previous research has shown changes in behavior and brain structure with prenatal and early life exposure to SSRIs, Rahn et al. explored changes in brain activity. After exposing mice to the SSRI fluoxetine during gestation and the first two weeks after birth, the team deployed optical imaging to examine the mouse brains exposed to fluoxetine and compare them to control mice. In the resting state, the brains of both sets of mice were nearly identical. When their front paws were stimulated, the fluoxetine-exposed mice displayed abnormal brain activity in sensory areas. The effect was observed during adulthood in mice, suggesting this developmental exposure to SSRIs causes long-term changes to sensory processing.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191216173658.htm
Exposure to cleaning products in first 3 months of life increases risk of childhood asthma
February 18, 2020
Science Daily/Simon Fraser University
New research from the CHILD Cohort Study shows that frequent exposure to common household cleaning products can increase a child's risk of developing asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease and is the primary reason why children miss school or end up in hospital.
The study was published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It found that young infants (birth to three months) living in homes where household cleaning products were used frequently were more likely to develop childhood wheeze and asthma by three years of age.
"Most of the available evidence linking asthma to the use of cleaning products comes from research in adults," said the study's lead researcher, Dr. Tim Takaro, a professor and clinician- scientist in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University (SFU). "Our study looked at infants, who typically spend 80-90% of their time indoors and are especially vulnerable to chemical exposures through the lungs and skin due to their higher respiration rates and regular contact with household surfaces."
In the study, at three years of age, children living in homes where cleaning products were used with high frequency during their infancy were more likely to have:
Recurrent wheeze (10.8 percent, compared to 7.7 percent of infants in homes with low use of these products)
Recurrent wheeze with atopy, a heightened immune response to common allergens (3.0 percent, compared to 1.5 percent of infants in homes with low use of these products)
Asthma (7.9 percent, compared to 4.8 percent of infants in homes with low use of these products)
Other factors known to affect the onset of asthma, such as family history and early life exposure to tobacco smoke, were accounted for in the analysis.
"Interestingly, we did not find an association between the use of cleaning products and a risk of atopy alone," noted Dr. Takaro. "Therefore, a proposed mechanism underlying these findings is that chemicals in cleaning products damage the cells that line the respiratory tract through innate inflammatory pathways rather than acquired allergic pathways."
"We also found that at age three, the relationship between product exposure and respiratory problems was much stronger in girls than boys," he added. "This is an interesting finding that requires more research to better understand male versus female biological responses to inflammatory exposures in early life."
The study used data from 2,022 children participating in the CHILD Cohort Study and examined their daily, weekly and monthly exposure to 26 types of household cleaners, including dishwashing and laundry detergents, cleaners, disinfectants, polishes, and air fresheners.
"The risks of recurrent wheeze and asthma were notably higher in homes with frequent use of certain products, such as liquid or solid air fresheners, plug-in deodorizers, dusting sprays, antimicrobial hand sanitizers and oven cleaners," commented the paper's lead author, Jaclyn Parks, a graduate student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU. "It may be important for people to consider removing scented spray cleaning products from their cleaning routine. We believe that the smell of a healthy home is no smell at all."
"The big takeaway from this study is that the first few months of life are critical for the development of a baby's immune and respiratory systems," concluded Parks. "By identifying hazardous exposures during infancy, preventive measures can be taken to potentially reduce childhood asthma and subsequent allergy risk."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200218182154.htm