Author: healthadmin

New research published in journal Psychology of religion and spirituality Our findings suggest that belief in hell may be associated with more conservative sexual behavior in different societies. The findings show that while religious beliefs help shape romantic choices, fear of supernatural punishment tends to act as a stronger social deterrent against casual sex and infidelity than the expectation of divine reward. Across many different cultures and historical periods, human societies have accepted the concept of an afterlife, where actions on earth are subject to divine judgment. Study authors Samudera Fadlilah Jamaluddin and Fakira Inayatulobani from the Department of Psychology…

Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Hello from Brooklyn, where the smoke from the wildfires is thick enough to bite. Everyone please stay safe. New idea to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy divides experts Viral vectors, go for a hike. A small California startup jumped into the rare disease space last year, claiming it could treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy using a new method: ultrasound. Using ultrasound to guide genes to specific tissues is an old idea, and although researchers have considered using it to deliver chemotherapy to tumors,…

A large-scale genome analysis is changing scientists’ understanding of koala evolution. According to research, koalas (Phascolarctus Greius) A severe population decline occurred about 100,000 years ago, long before humans arrived in Australia. All koalas alive today are thought to have descended from a single ancestral population that endured dramatic environmental changes, including severe ice ages. However, modern koalas now face a different set of dangers. These include hunting, widespread land clearing, wildfires, and disease. The study, led by researchers from the University of Sydney and Texas A&M University, challenges previous research that found koala numbers declined only after humans arrived…

An analysis of study data from the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project found that a high-fat diet was associated with a rapid decrease in temporal lobe volume in participants without cognitive impairment. However, in people with mild cognitive impairment, adherence to the same type of diet was associated with delayed enlargement of the inferior ventricular region of the brain. The paper is Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Although dementia is an inevitable part of normal aging, the risk of developing dementia increases as you get older. Dementia is a disorder characterized by a progressive decline in memory, reasoning, language, judgment, or…

Recent research published in current psychology This suggests that people are more likely to believe disinformation from someone who ignores the truth than from a liar who actively tries to deceive. This research shows that when a fact-insensitive person repeats a statement, it significantly increases how true that statement is perceived by the reader. These findings provide evidence that casual disregard for reality poses a uniquely powerful threat to public knowledge and beliefs. The digital age has made it increasingly difficult to track down misinformation. Information is often spread through acts known in psychology as “bullshit” as well as intentional…

Commonly used sweeteners can directly interfere with the growth of bacteria that support a healthy gut, according to laboratory research from the University of Cambridge. The strongest effects were seen when researchers combined isosteviol, a sweetener used in the food and beverage industry, with the antidepressant duloxetine. Combining the two compounds significantly reduced the growth of two important bacterial species associated with digestive health, blood sugar regulation, and immune function. Scientists caution that the experiment was carried out in a laboratory and not on humans. Therefore, further research will be needed to determine whether bacterial changes result in meaningful health…

Smoke from wildfires burning much of the Northern Hemisphere as the planet warms attacks nearly every system in the human body, killing tens of thousands of people each year. medical research show.The virus immediately attacks the body, with ambulance calls increasing and asthma cases surging within hours, and emergency rooms filling up within a day or so with people suffering from heart attacks and other cardiovascular and pulmonary problems, as well as mental health issues, doctors and scientists told The Associated Press.Smoke also harms pregnant women, putting them at increased risk of premature birth, low birth weight babies and lifelong…

RICHMOND, Va. — Before the Virginia General Assembly opened in January, 53-year-old William Ward attended a Virginia Conservation League constituency meeting in Petersburg to learn how the state’s data center industry is straining the power grid, harming the environment and driving up electricity bills. He also learned about the $1.9 billion in sales and use taxes the state waived for data centers in 2025. “It’s impacting the public,” Ward said. “We have to pay, they don’t have to pay. We understand we need data centers, but why is it here? They have to pay their fair share.” What began in…

A direct comparison of two commonly prescribed ADHD stimulants showed similar symptom responses but differences in 12-month weight outcomes. Study: A randomized, open-label comparison of desamphetamine and methylphenidate in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Effects on symptom response, adherence, and weight over 12 months. Image credit: Jack_the_sparrow/Shutterstock.com The stimulants desamphetamine and methylphenidate have been found to be equally effective in improving symptoms in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health. Balancing symptom control and treatment side effects Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and…

A six-month clinical trial found that people with a high genetic risk of obesity benefited from dietary guidance just as much as those with a low genetic risk, challenging the idea that DNA determines weight loss success. Study: Dietary intervention and BMI reduction in individuals with extreme genetic predisposition to high BMI: A randomized controlled trial. Image credit: Lightspring/Shutterstock.com Randomized controlled trials published in journals nature communications They found that people with a high genetic predisposition to obesity lost just as much weight over a six-month dietary intervention as people with a low genetic risk. Does genetics affect weight loss?…