A sweet tooth might not be the only reason why we reach for ice cream and cake in times of stress. Comfort from the consumption of fatty foods is not derived purely from the pleasurable sensory experience of eating but also through gut-brain signaling, according to a study by scientists at the University of Leuven, in Belgium. The study, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, used MRI scans to investigate the effects of fatty acids on... 

Did you hit the gym today? If so, you probably feel like you deserve a pat on the back. But your efforts may be in vain if you spend the rest of the day sitting down. A growing body of research suggests sitting down for most of the day can be lethal. It has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and death from any cause. And a daily jog may do little to negate the deleterious effects of too much time in a chair. “The robotic... 

Human brains shrink as people grow old, unlike even our closest animal relative, says a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that highlights what researchers call the unique character of human aging, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The human brain normally can shrink up to 15 percent as it ages, a change linked to dementia, poor memory and depression. Until now, researchers had assumed this gradual brain loss in later years... 

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Taking care of your body just might save your mind. Millions of cases of Alzheimer’s disease worldwide could be prevented by curbing risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, obesity and lack of exercise, new research suggests. The study offers more than the usual pep talk about healthy living. Seven conditions or behaviors account for up to half of the 35 million cases of Alzheimer’s around the world, it found. With no... 

Pediatricians often miss important opportunities to talk about nutrition, exercise, and emotional issues with overweight teens, suggests new research from California. Focusing on these issues in overweight adolescents may give doctors a chance to stop unhealthy behavior that could be setting kids up for obesity before it’s too late, said study author Dr. Carolyn Bradner Jasik. “Once kids are obese, these behaviors are entrenched, and it’s... 

How much does your weight actually affect your marriage? Well, results of a new study may surprise you. Researchers from the University of Tennessee followed 169 newlywed couples under the age of 35 over a four-year period in order to examine “the implications” of someone’s own body mass index (BMI) and their partners’ BMI for the “trajectory of marital satisfaction.” After gathering all the data, researchers found men who had a higher BMI than... 

Vitamin D is essential for bone health. Recent research suggests it may have other benefits, too, such as protecting against colds and fighting depression. The good news is that most people get enough vitamin D, according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). However, if you don’t spend enough time in the sun or if your body has trouble absorbing the vitamin, you may not get enough. Here are nine ways to ensure adequate intake. 1. Sunlight Sunlight spurs... 

High levels of anxiety, stress or depression during pregnancy may be associated with a greater risk of asthma for the baby, suggests a new study that focused on inner-city minority women. Somewhat similar findings regarding an association between stress and asthma have been reported in previous studies, but this new study focused only on minority populations.  Researchers from the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health... 

With the United States debt now approaching $14.5 trillion, Americans are watching their elected officials debating whether the debt ceiling should be raised to allow the country to borrow even more money. President Obama has warned that if we don’t borrow more money, the federal government may not be able to make payments to social security recipients. Very little has been written about the psychological effects of the American population living under a...