More than half of U.S. children could be obese by age 35
The majority of children growing up in America today will be obese by age 35, a new computer analysis predicts. The study's lead author, Zachary Ward, described the forecast as "sobering." But, he added, "It should not be surprising that we are heading in this direction. We are already approaching this level of adult obesity for certain subgroups [and] areas of the country." Still, Ward expressed some surprise at how strongly being obese at a very young age predicted obesity
Breathing Dirty Air May Raise Miscarriage Risk
Smog might raise a woman's risk of miscarriage early in her pregnancy, a new study suggests. Chronic exposure seemed to increase that risk by more than 10 percent, according to researchers who tracked hundreds of pregnancies among couples in Michigan and Texas. "We found that both ozone and particles in the air were related to an increased risk of early pregnancy loss," said senior researcher Pauline Mendola. She is an investigator with the U.S. National Institute of Child He
Vitamin D Linked to Fertility Outcomes in IVF Treatment
Adequate levels of vitamin D were associated with better fertility outcomes in women undergoing assisted reproduction treatment (ART), a meta-analysis of recent studies found. The analysis of 11 studies including 2,700 women reported that those with adequate vitamin D were 33% more likely to achieve live birth than those with deficient or insufficient levels (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.08-1.65), said researchers led by Justin Chu, PhD, of the University of Birmingham in the U.K. Women
Medical first: Doctors attempt to gene-edit a living patient's DNA
A man may soon be forever free of the previously incurable disease he was born with 44 years ago. On Monday, in a medical first, Brian Madeux received an experimental in-body gene-editing treatment intended to cure him of Mucopolysaccharidoses II, known as MPS II or Hunter syndrome, a rare disorder that causes progressive damage to the body's cells. From Madeux's point of view, the revolutionary treatment appears anything but: It was a simple matter of getting hooked up to an
Weighing Too Much or Too Little When Pregnant Can Be Risky
For women contemplating having a baby, new research adds to the evidence suggesting that starting a pregnancy at a normal weight is best. The study found that too much or even too little weight increases an expectant mom's risk for severe illnesses and death. "Not only for baby's sake, but also for your own sake, have a healthy diet and get regular exercise before pregnancy," said study lead author Dr. Sarka Lisonkova. She's an assistant professor in the department of obstetr
Waiting to conceive after miscarriage may not be needed
One miscarriage doesn’t necessarily increase the risk of another, and counseling women to delay conception after a pregnancy loss may not be warranted, a recent study suggests. Researchers in the U.S. found that women participating in a larger long-term study who conceived within three months of a pregnancy loss had the lowest likelihood of another miscarriage compared to women who waited 6 to 18 months. “We observed that the advice doctors give to women about when to start t
US fertility rate hits a record low
The US fertility rate has dropped to the lowest number reported since fertility records started being kept more than a century ago. There were 61.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 in the year ending the first quarter of 2017, according to numbers released by the National Center for Health Statistics on November 7, 2017. This demonstrates a further decline from the previous year; at the same point in 2016, the rate was 62.5 births per 1,000 women. The report states the sh
Male Infertility Crisis in U.S. Has Experts Baffled
Hagai Levine doesn’t scare easily. The Hebrew University public health researcher is the former chief epidemiologist for the Israel Defense Forces, which means he’s acquainted with danger and risk in a way most of his academic counterparts aren’t. So when he raises doubts about the future of the human race, it’s worth listening. Together with Shanna Swan, a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Levine authored a
