Beans Good for Memory
A new report says your brain might benefit from beans.
They are high in fibre, protein, lower in calories, but this report found they could help reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at Tufts University report that beans give your body a nutrient called manganese, it’s important to enzyme reactions and b-vitamins in the brain.
These are all critical to neurotransmitters that are essential to the brains memory function. People that eat a meatless meal with beans at least once a week can get enough of these nutrients to boost brain power.
Source: WKRC TV Cincinnati
Hormones Impact Stress, Memories, Understanding Social Cues
A new research has demonstrated unexpected roles that sex hormones may play in the cognitive function of females, including memory and interpreting social cues. Additionally, a chemical identified in pregnant mice may provide insight into developmental disorders, such as schizophrenia. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2013, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
The findings show that: Maternal stress can reduce levels of a chemical in the placenta that influences many other functions, such as development in mice. Additionally, the chemical could serve as a biomarker for maternal stress, a known risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and schizophrenia Estrogen replacement therapy in post-menopausal women may help prevent stress-related memory loss.
Other recent findings discussed show that: Tamoxifen, a drug used to treat breast cancer, may protect against cognitive loss in post-menopausal women
Estrogens, commonly thought of as a female reproductive hormone, are produced in the brains of males and females. In songbirds, estrogen may help process auditory social cues in both sexes and visual cues in males.
“Researchers are recognizing there are more differences between male and female biologies than originally thought,” said press conference moderator Catherine Woolley of Northwestern University, an expert on hormones such as estrogen. “These new studies help to show how sex differences and the actions of hormones in the brain affect how we develop, respond to the environment, and how we age. Through understanding sex differences, we can improve the way biology informs medicine.”
Source: Science Daily
Earlier Onset of Periods May Not Mean Earlier Sex
Girls who start menstruating at a younger-than-average age do not have sex earlier than their peers, according to a new study.
Australian researchers found that among 554 girls followed through childhood, those who started their monthly periods before age 12 did not get an earlier start on their sex lives.
One-quarter had had sexual intercourse by the time they were 15 years old, versus about 29 percent of girls who’d started their menstrual periods at age 12 or 13 — which is considered the average age range.
Typically, the study found, girls who got their first period early waited longer before having sex — about five years versus less than four years among girls who started menstruating at the average age.
“Our study shows that earlier physical maturation doesn’t necessarily mean a younger girl will initiate sexual behaviour,” said lead researcher Jennifer Marino, a research fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
Some past studies have linked earlier menstruation to earlier sexual activity. But, Marino said, those have generally been of older girls and women who were asked to recall how old they were when they started their periods and started having sex.
Source: MedicineNet
