Month: March 2008

Increased heart risk among women who took hormones in a study faded in the three years after they quit, researchers say. The study of hormone use after menopause was halted in 2002. Women assigned to take hormones were told to quit because they showed a higher risk of heart disease and breast cancer than women who took fake pills. In the next two to three years, heart risk returned to normal, the new study found. But overall cancer risk was 24% higher than for women who took fake pills. The Associated Press wrote about the study March 5. It appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

U.S. adults are getting too little sleep, and it’s affecting their work, a survey has found. The average reported was 6 hours and 40 minutes a night. That’s about 40 minutes less than people need. The survey was conducted among a random sample of 1,000 U.S. adults. About 1 in 3 people said they had been sleepy or fallen asleep at work in the last month. The survey also found that sometimes work is keeping people up. They said they were working more hours, including more than four hours a week at home. The survey came from the National Sleep Foundation. The Association Press reported on it March 3.

Talking about sex with your kids shouldn’t just be a one-time thing, new research suggests. The study included 312 teens and their parents. They privately filled out questionnaires about their sex-related talks with each other. Kids who had more talks about sex with their parents felt closer to them. Some families covered more topics in their talks than others. Teens in these families felt more comfortable talking about sex with their parents. HealthDay News reported on the study March 3. It was published in the journal Pediatrics.