Preschoolers From Low-Income Families May Have Worse Health and Benefit Less From Health Promotion Interventions Than Children With Higher Socioeconomic Status

Mount Sinai study focused on Harlem preschools emphasizes the need for specialized health promotion programs in classrooms starting at an early age

Higher body mass index linked to longer healing time after breast reduction surgery

For patients undergoing breast reduction surgery (reduction mammaplasty), higher body mass index (BMI) is a risk factor for delayed wound healing, reports a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Women’s Preventive Services Initiative issues guidelines for preventing obesity in midlife women

The Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI), a national coalition of women’s health professional organizations and patient advocacy representatives, has issued a new clinical guideline recommending that clinicians discuss obesity prevention strategies with female patients aged 40 to 60 years even if they are not overweight. According to the guideline, counseling should include individualized discussion with patients about healthy eating and physical activity to maintain a healthy weight for those with a normal-range body mass index (BMI), or to maintain or limit weight gain for those whose BMI is categorized as overweight. The recommendation is based on a systematic review of published evidence.

Researchers Use Model of Hypothalamus to Implicate Genes Associated with Sleep, BMI, Puberty, and More

A new study has implicated several genes involved in a variety of bodily functions associated with the hypothalamus, a notoriously difficult-to-study region of the brain. The findings could help clinicians identify potential causes of dysfunction for many important traits regulated by the hypothalamus, such as sleep, stress, and reproduction.

Burning and Tingling in Your Feet? You May Have Small Fiber Neuropathy

The number of people experiencing numbness, tingling and pain in their feet with no known cause has been increasing over the last two decades, according at a new study published in the October 27, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Called small fiber neuropathy, the condition has different symptoms than large fiber neuropathy, which can cause weakness and balance issues. But in many cases people have both types of neuropathy.

Heart Health Problems in Your 20s May Affect Thinking Skills Decades Later

People in their 20s and 30s who have health issues such as high blood pressure, obesity and high blood glucose levels may be more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills decades later than those without these health issues, according to a study published in the March 17, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

In women, higher body fat may protect against heart disease death, study shows

A new UCLA study shows that while men and women who have high muscle mass are less likely to die from heart disease, it also appears that women who have higher levels of body fat — regardless of their muscle mass — have a greater degree of protection than women with less fat.

Toddler sleep patterns matter

Lauren Covington, assistant professor in the University of Delaware School of Nursing, found that children with inconsistent sleep schedules have higher body mass index (BMI) percentiles. Her research also found that children from households with greater poverty had more overall inconsistent sleep onset times. For families living in poverty, consistent sleep scheduling may not be so easily done, especially if a caregiver is the only parent, juggling multiple jobs, parenting multiple children or dealing with a tenuous housing situation.

Coriell Researchers Identify SNP Associated with Obesity Risk

Obesity is among the most common complex diseases in the United States and has been a stubborn public health challenge for decades. Its causes are wide ranging, but genetic heritability is increasingly understood to be an influential factor in determining a person’s risk for the disease. Coriell researchers have found a new genetic indicator of obesity risk and bolstered the understood importance of one gene’s role in obesity risk.