Today in Medicine: Talking to your kids about drugs might encourage them
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Topic of Study: Discussing past drug use with children
Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: 561 students in 6th-8th grades
Results: A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign study published in the journal “Human Communication Research” found that children whose parents talked to them about alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana were more likely to be against drugs. But those whose parents who told their children about their own past drug use produced more positive views about drug use.
Significance: The findings show how much children take their cues from parental behavior.
Topic of Study: Plant-based diets
Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: 7,447 individuals ages 55-80, at a high risk for cardiovascular disease
Results: Research from the sixth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition hosted by Loma Linda University Health in California states that eating a plant-based Mediterranean diet that includes nuts or virgin olive oil can slash heart disease risk by 30 percent.
Significance: “A Mediterranean diet offers a preventive efficacy that was also assessed on secondary variables, including death from all causes, and incidence of diabetes and metabolic syndrome,” says Spain’s Dr. Miguel Angel Martinez, one of the study’s lead investigators. Want to espouse the diet for yourself? Start incorporating more fresh produce, seafood, whole grains and nutritious fats, like walnuts and olive oil.
Topic of Study: Calcium Supplements and heart risks
Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: 388,229 adults ages of 50 to 71
Results: A 12-year study found that the men in the study group who took daily calcium supplements with 1,000 milligrams or more were 20 percent more likely to die of heart-related causes than those who did not take a calcium supplement.
Significance: The researchers think an overdose of calcium could cause a build-up in the arteries and veins. The results are part of a larger study of the symbiotic relationship between magnesium and calcium during metabolism.
