Improved
6112 HealthChanged
3786 LivesSaved
3568 Lives0 lives impacted in the last 24 hrs Learn More
In this edition of EmpowHER's "HER Week In Health", Bailey Mosier explains why parents should get their kids started on yoga in high school, examines a study that says overweight women are at a greater risk for pregnancy complications, and learns how scientists say early menopause is linked to a greater risk of osteoporosis later in life.
Hi, I’m Bailey Mosier. This is your EmpowHER HER Week in Health.
I didn’t start doing yoga until I was in college and I have a feeling those of you who practice didn’t pick it up until later in life, either. In this week’s edition, we’ll tell you why you should get your kids started on yoga in high school. We’ll also learn that overweight women are at a greater risk for pregnancy complications and that early menopause is linked to a greater risk of osteoporosis later in life. Have a look.
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School studied 51 junior and senior high school students across 10 weeks. Half of the students took a yoga PE class, the other half, a regular PE class.
The researchers found that by the end of the study, the teens who did not do yoga during their PE classes scored higher for mood problems or anxiety, while those who did do yoga scored lower on these tests. Additionally, the teens who didn't do yoga reported more negative emotions during the study period, while the teens who did do yoga reported fewer negative emotions.
Researchers say yoga may serve a preventive role in adolescent mental health, so the next time you’re headed to the yoga studio, you may want to bring your son or daughter along with you.
Pregnant women who are overweight and have slightly elevated blood-sugar levels are at increased risk for pregnancy complications.
Northwestern University researchers studied 23,000 women in nine countries and found that pregnant women who are obese and have gestational diabetes and those who are overweight and have slightly elevated blood sugar are more likely to have large babies, which increases the risk of injury to the baby during vaginal delivery, thereby increasing the likelihood of a Cesarean section
The researchers also noted that babies born to women with excess weight and higher blood-sugar levels are more likely to be born with higher insulin and lower blood-sugar levels, ultimately putting them at risk for diabetes and childhood obesity.
Researchers says we need to do a better job of looking at the impact of nutrition, metabolism and weight on pregnancy outcomes, and that every pregnant woman should meet with a dietitian and set an appropriate healthy eating plan for her pregnancy.
Swedish researchers recently found that women who go through early menopause are twice as likely to suffer from osteoporosis later in life.
In a paper published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Swedish researchers recruited 400 women aged 48 for a longitudinal study. In 1977, they split the women into two groups – those who started menopause before age 47 and those who started after age 47. They measured their bone mineral density then and 30 years later.
The study found that at the age of 77, 56 percent of women with early menopause had osteoporosis, compared to 30 percent of women with late menopause. The researchers look to early menopause as an indicator for osteoporosis, fractures and even mortality in a long-term perspective.
That wraps up your EmpowHER HER Week in Health. Join me here at EmpowHER every Friday as we recap the latest in women’s health.
Add a CommentComments
There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!