New Hampshire Health News Digest

ScienceDaily: Watch What You Put In That Sippy Cup, Experts Warn Science Daily — Juice boxes look harmless enough, with those kid-size, bendable straws and promises of 100 percent vitamin C. As healthy as juice seems, parents need to be wary of doling out too much to children, especially during the summer when kids need plenty of fluids to stay safe, a University of Florida expert says. Unlike water and low-fat milk, fruit juices and sodas are laden with fructose, a type of naturally occurring sugar that could trigger obesity in humans. As healthy as juice seems, parents need to be wary of doling out too much to children, especially during the summer when kids need plenty of fluids to stay safe, a University of Florida expert says. Unlike water and low-fat milk, fruit juices and sodas are laden with fructose, a type of naturally occurring sugar that could trigger obesity in humans, said Richard Johnson, MD., the J. Robert Cade professor of nephrology in the UF College of Medicine. “Stu...

The scourge of loneliness has been with us since time immemorial, but only in recent years has its toll on human health gained appreciation. New research shows that feeling lonely or socially isolated bumps up a person's average risk for coronary heart disease and stroke -- two of the developed world's most prolific killers -- by 50%. As a risk factor for heart attack, clogged arteries or stroke, those statistics put loneliness on a par with light smoking, anxiety and occupational stress. And they make social isolation a more powerful predictor of such vascular diseases than are either high blood pressure or obesity. Moreover, the study found, the toxic effects of loneliness strike men and women equally, researchers found. Added to research linking loneliness to higher rates of cognitive decline and poor immune system function, loneliness begins to look like a blight not just on society but on our collective well-being. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-lo...

http://tiny.iavian.net/9x1l Living closer to nature is better for your health, new research suggests — and may even extend your life. A  study  just published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that people who live in “greener” areas, with more vegetation around, have a lower risk of mortality. The health benefits are likely thanks to factors such as improved mental health, social engagement and physical activity that come with living near green spaces.

"Reminder: Facebook can take down your 4.4 million-like page anytime it wants without explanation," Nieman Lab's Joshua Benton  tweeted  on Monday. Benton's colleague, Laura Hazard Owen, suggested that "the takedown of such a large and popular page could add fuel to concerns that publishers are giving Facebook too much power." . http://tiny.iavian.net/9x5m

Lizzy Kelly, a history student at Sheffield added: “Students might be more inclined to read what academics want them to if our curricula weren’t overwhelmingly white, male and indicative of a society and structures we fundamentally disagree with because they don't work for us.” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/university-students-are-struggling-to-read-entire-books-a6986361.html

Scientists have discovered drugs used to treat nicotine addiction could be used to treat sugar addiction. In the study carried out by Australia's Queensland University (QUT), it compared the effects of sugar to those of cocaine and likened the symptoms of coming off it to going 'cold turkey'. “Like other drugs of abuse, withdrawal from chronic sucrose exposure can result in an imbalance in dopamine levels and be as difficult as going ‘cold turkey’ from them.” Masroor Shariff Neuroscientist Professor Selena http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/13/sugar-addiction-like-drug-abuse-study-reveals/