BELOW ZERO

gain in new moms

If your new baby is keeping you awake at night, take note: A first-of-its-kind study by Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California, suggests that sleep deprivation after giving birth may limit a new mother’s ability to shed those pregnancy-related pounds. Women who slept five hours a day six months after giving birth were more than three times likelier to keep weight on compared to women who slept seven hours, the researchers reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Little milk, exercise hurts kids’ bones

Too little milk, sunshine and exercise: It’s an anti-bone trifecta. And for some kids, it’s leading to rickets, the soft-bone scourge of the 19th Century. Bone specialists say possibly millions of seemingly healthy children aren’t building as much strong bone as they should, which might leave them more vulnerable to osteoporosis later in life. Almost half of peak bone mass develops during adolescence, and the concern is that missing out on the strongest possible bones in childhood could haunt people decades later. By the 30s, bone is broken down faster than it’s rebuilt. Then it’s a race to maintain bone and avoid the thin bones of osteoporosis in old age. Early data shows that even a 10 per cent deficit in bone mass when one finishes adolescent years can increase potential risk of osteoporosis and fractures by 50 per cent.

20 TO 40

Wine may calm inflammation in the blood vessels

Adding to evidence that a little wine can do a heart good, a new study suggests that women who drink moderate amounts may have less inflammation in their blood vessels. Researchers from University of Barcelona found that after four weeks of drinking two glasses of wine per day, women showed lower levels of certain inflammatory substances in their blood. The findings, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest a mechanism by which wine — particularly red wine — may protect the heart. Numerous studies have found that wine drinkers tend to have lower rates of heart disease than teetotalers do. Research also suggests that higher levels of “good” HDL cholesterol may be one reason, though not a full explanation of the benefit.

40 AND ABOVE

Low testosterone may shorten men’s lives

Men aged 40 or over with low levels of testosterone may be at increased risk of fatal heart attacks or death from any cause, a British study suggests. Researchers from University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine reported in Circulation that men in the highest quarter of testosterone readings — with at least 19.6 nanomoles of the hormone per liter of blood — had a 41 per cent lower risk of dying over 10 years than those in the lowest quarter of testosterone readings — less than 12.5 nanomoles of testosterone per liter of blood. However, more work is needed to see whether testosterone supplements should be recommended for men with naturally low levels of the hormone, the researchers said.