March 29th, 2010
Reuters reports a new study that claims high-calorie foods may be as addictive as cocaine or nicotine. The study, from the journal Nature Neuroscience, notes that this type of binge eating could be the cause of compulsive eating and obesity.
Because the study subjects were rats, the findings cannot be directly related to obesity in humans but can add to our understanding of the disorders and various ways to treat it, according to the study authors.
In a laboratory setting, rats overate high calorie foods which “triggered addiction-like” brain responses, and showed that rats became compulsive eaters on high-calorie food.
To read the entire Reuters article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36081881/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/from/ET
March 24th, 2010
The current issue of PCOS Health Review cites new research about the positive effect of berries on the liver. Women with PCOS have a 50% risk of developing Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), a “hidden” symptom of the disorder.
Sixty-one women were divided into two groups for the study undertaken by Finland’s University of Turku. One group ate 1/3 lb of berries every day; the other did not.
The berry-eating group was found to have a 23 per cent decrease in the market for liver disease.
A variety of berries are recommended to achieve a protective effect on the liver and for overall good health. The article recommends: blackberry, lingonberry, blueberry, boysenberry, raspberry, gooseberry, dewberry, elderberry, youngberry, loganberry and strawberry.
To read the complete article in PCOS Health Review, visit:
www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/news102.html#sec2
December 7th, 2009
The Reproductive Medicine Network (RMN) has today announced plans to launch a series of clinical trials and participants are needed.
The trials will focus on four areas: Female Infertility, Male Infertility, IVF (in vitro fertilization) and multiple gestations as a result of ovarian stimulation.
The RMN study for female infertility will address women with PCOS. It’s goal is to determine the efficacy of various medications designed to aid in conception and live birth outcomes.
The trials will include 750 female participants, 100 of which will visit the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. (Interested Michigan-based women may contact Linda Vandell, 734-998-4973 email: vandelll@umich.edu.)
For further information on the study addressing infertile women, visit:
For additional information on the trials in general:
An interesting piece of information, the Reproductive Medicine Network was founded in 1989 and funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
November 28th, 2009
Well-known doctor and author, Andrew Weil, reports on new research from Sweden indicating that acupuncture may “ease” PCOS by normalizing menstruation and lowering testosterone levels in women with the condition.
As first reported in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, some women with PCOS showed high activity in the sympathetic nervous system, a part of the body that we cannot control. This could prove to be an underlying factor in PCOS.
Women who received regular acupuncture and those who excercised showed decreased activity in the sympathetic nervous system. Menstruation also improved among women receiving acupuncture.
To read more about the study in Dr. Weil’s daily blog:
http://www.drweilblog.com/home/2009/11/27/acupuncture-may-ease-polycystic-ovarian-syndrome.html
