health briefs
Eye Contact Syncs Baby and Adult Brainwaves
When an adult looks into the eyes of a baby, a syn- chronization of brain waves occurs that could indicate an intention to com- municate, concludes a Cambridge University study of 36 infants. This coordinating supports the baby’s early learning and communication skills,
according to the researchers. The effect, which research- ers measured via electroencephalogram (EEG)-wired skullcaps, was strongest with eye-to-eye contact and weaker when the adult’s head was turned away. The more vocalizations—little sounds—the baby made, the greater their brainwaves synchronized with the adult.
New Guidelines Lower the Bar for
U.S. Midlife Women
Choosing Natural Health Care
In a survey of 171 midlife American women, more than 80 percent reported using complementary and alternative medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine research- ers discovered. The most common choice was herbal teas, followed by women’s vitamins, flax- seed, glucosamine and soy supplements. Only 34 percent of the non-Hispanic white women and 14 percent of the Hispanic women discussed it with their doctors.
Risky Blood Pressure New guidelines that change the criteria for healthy blood pressure mean that nearly half of U.S. adults are now considered to have high blood pressure. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have redefined the condition as being 130/80 instead of 140/90, a change considered by critics as overly beneficial to pharma- ceutical companies. This criteria includes 80 percent of people over 65, triples the diagnosis for men under 45 and doubles it for women younger than 45. The revised guidelines encourage adopting lifestyle strategies in early stages of rising blood pressure like exercise, diet, weight loss and smoking cessation. Evidence-based alterna- tive methods noted in a Canadian study include coenzyme Q10, dark chocolate, qigong, slow breathing, Tran- scendental Meditation and vitamin D.
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Young Women Outdo Male
Peers in Oxygen Uptake Young women process oxygen about 30 percent faster and more efficiently than men when they begin exercis- ing, according to a new study from Canada’s University of Waterloo. The ability to extract oxygen from the blood is an important fitness marker, which the researchers tested by having 18 young men and women exercise on treadmills. The women’s superior results indicate they are naturally less prone to muscle fatigue and poor performance. “The find- ings are contrary to the popular assumption that men’s bodies are more naturally athletic,” observes lead author Thomas Beltrame, Ph.D. Previous research had found that older men and male children tend to have faster oxy- gen uptake than women.
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