Women and alcoholism

A study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that when women start drinking at a younger age we are at a higher risk of developing alcohol dependence. According to Richard A. Grucza, first author of the work, “An early age at the onset of drinking is a strong predictor of subsequent alcohol dependence. About one in three individuals who start drinking at age 17 or younger become alcohol dependent. For those who wait until age 21 or older, that number is one in ten.”

Breastfeeding

Baby girls may benefit more than boys from breast-feeding. Based on research conducted at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center while baby girls who were breast fed got just as many respiratory infections, the infections were less severe and they were less likely to need to be hospitalized.

More women for research trials

Scientific American’s 60-Second Science says that more women are still needed for medical trials.

Osteoporosis

A committee met recently to update the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) Clinician’s Guide to Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis. The new Clinician’s Guide incorporates the World Health Organization (WHO) absolute fracture prediction algorithm (FRAX®), a computer-based tool expected to increase the identification of patients at risk for osteoporosis. The algorithm tells clinicians how likely a patient is to fracture a bone due to osteoporosis or low bone mass in the 10 years following examination, also known as 10-year fracture risk.

Breasts hurt when exercising?

Another of the Scientific American’s 60-Second Science says that breast pain is related to the speed of movement, not the degree of up and down and recommends sports bras that cup each side individually.