Blog Posts by HealthyWomen

Your Brain on SugarBy Sally Jones

A new study suggests that it just may. But a diet rich in omega-3s may help counter the effects.

Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) tested rats on the Barnes maze both before and after feeding them a diet of fructose in their water. After six weeks, the rats showed significant memory loss and impaired abilities in the maze. Researchers found these rats exhibited signs of insulin-resistance. Insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar, also helps regulate brain function.

Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome

"Because insulin can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss," according to Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning."

Time magazine cover Time magazine's most recent cover is giving people something to talk about. The photo pictures a 20-something blond mom breastfeeding her 3-year-old son as he stands on a chair. The Los Angeles-based mom says she was breastfed by her own mother until the age of 6.

In America, this photo seems shocking to us because it is a sight so rarely seen in our culture-and because the image of a kid standing on a chair to breastfeed is, well, probably not realistic. However, worldwide children are commonly breastfed well into their toddler years. According to UNICEF, more than half of mothers worldwide are still breastfeeding their children at 20-23 months. In Asia it's 69 percent and South Asia 76 percent, according to their numbers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23.8 percent of moms in the United States are still breastfeeding at 12 months, with California being the highest in prevalence at 40 percent of moms and Louisiana the lowest at 7 percent.

Through her

Do you have a friend or family mTalking to your friend about fertility issuesember who is struggling with infertility? That's not surprising considering a recent survey from the nonprofit organization HealthyWomen found that about half of those surveyed had friends or famil y members who had experienced fertility problems. And your friend probably needs your support and understanding now more than ever. Unfortunately, too many people get uncomfortable around this issue and say or do the wrong thing. That's why we've provided this roadmap:

10 Things You Should Not Say to a Friend Experiencing Infertility
1. Pregnant yet? If your friend is pregnant, she'll tell you when she's ready. Don't keep asking her how it's going. Let her tell you in her own time.
2. It could be worse. To a couple who wants children, it really can't be worse.
3. Haven't you done enough? It is up to your friend to determine when enough is enough.
4. Focus on the other parts of your life. This is really tough for a woman with infertility problems to do. For

Pulling your hair out over a difficult coworker? Do you have a coworker or boss that makes every day at work feel like a Monday? Or does your job in general stress you out? You're not alone. A reported 25 percent of adults saying that their career is the biggest source of tension in their lives. From heavy workloads to rude coworkers to stubborn bosses, workplace stressors can take a serious toll on your mental health and productivity.

And too bad stress doesn't stay at work at the end of the day. Stress can become chronic, leading to feelings of overall anxiety that can spill over into your personal life, affecting relationships and diminishing the time you have for relaxation. Intense workplace stress has been known to lead to depression, excess body fat and other chronic health conditions.

Stress management tools and techniques can save your health and make going to the office more enjoyable, or at least bearable. Try these eight tips for tackling workplace stressors:

Identify the main sources of anxiety: What is it exactly that