We have discussed shorter work weeks in the past. There are several reasons for a reduction or working hours. Now French research adds another one to this list. According to a report on ScienceDaily people who work long hours over a decade have an increased risk of a stroke. Continue reading Health and working hours
Tag Archives: health
More on lead
Previously we have discussed the effect of lead exposure on cognitive development as well its association with crime. ScienceDaily reports a new study that further confirms the negative effect of lead on neural development:
Higher lead in topsoil boosts the probability of cognitive difficulties in 5-year-old boys
Bottom line: any concentration of lead in the environment has a negative impact on the cognitive abilities of children. Since this damage is permanent, lead poisoning is a major social problem as reduced mental capacities will negatively affect performance at school and in later life.
Hence our position remains that the authorities in future space settlements should implement a zero tolerance policy when it comes to lead – any lead containing product should be banned from daily life.
Diet and ADHD
Just a few interesting articles on the relation between diet and ADHD.
Dietary change might help some children with ADHD – Unfortunately not for everyone and more research is necessary.
Unhealthy diet during pregnancy could be linked to ADHD – to be more specific consumption of high level of fat and sugar could be cause ADHD in one’s offspring.
Food Additives Linked To Hyperactivity In Kids, Study Shows – important for regulators to decide whether to allow or not certain additives.
Zinc Supplements Could Help Treat ADHD – interesting as this would be a rather inexpensive intervention.
Western diet link to ADHD, Australian study shows – again more research is necessary.
Omega-3 reduces ADHD symptoms in rats – though humans are not rats, this study confirms that fetal development is essential in later behaviour.
Exercise at work
As pointed out earlier too many people spend to less time on physical exercise and this seriously affect public health. A serious challenge for many people is to schedule regular work outs in their time tables. The DeskCycle is a tool that allows people to exercise while simultaneously doing something else, such as work.
No sitting, no kidding
Here a video by CBS about a Californian elementary school that does not allow sitting.
Rope skipping
According to an article on ScienceDaily before-school activity programs have significant benefits for the physical fitness and social well-being of students. Unfortunately the article does not tell us what such program should like or whether different types of exercise could be used. Continue reading Rope skipping
Animals and organ transplants
Human organ transplants have become a normal medical procedure during the last fifty years. Organ transplants in animals, usually pets, are, on the other hand, quite rare. Continue reading Animals and organ transplants
Ben Davidow on in vitro meat
Animal welfare activist Ben Davidow has written an excellent article on why we should support cultured meat from an animal welfare perspective. Davidow establishes that many animal welfare activists show little to no enthusiasm for in vitro meat, and in his article he refutes several common objections raised against cultured meat. Continue reading Ben Davidow on in vitro meat
Oxytocin: the new doping?
Scientists have discovered that, at least in mice, oxytocin plays a crucial role in muscle maintenance and that the amount of oxytocin decreases with age. Older mice have less of this hormone, and hence it takes more time for them to repair their muscles. By giving older mice a daily injection of oxytocin, their muscle repair capability was strongly improved.
Though this function of oxytocin has not been demonstrated in humans, oxytocin has been approved for clinical use in humans. If these results also apply to humans, it will be useful for elderly people who will be able to live healthier at higher age.
But since oxytocin improves muscle repair capability, there is a possibility that sportsmen will use it as doping. Since sportsmen use their muscles in a very intense manner, their muscles have a higher risk at damages. This is especially problematic during multi-day sport events as the Tour de France or the Fifa World Championship. The faster a sportsman can have his muscles repaired, the better his overall performance will be.
At this moment oxytocin is legal, and could be obtained and used easily, even if the effects on human muscles is unclear. And as long oxytocin is not listed as doping and sportsmen are not tested at this hormone, which also occurs naturally in our body (to make stuff even more difficult); sportsmen will be tempted to use oxytocin.
