Obesity In Girls Triggered By Stress Hormone, Depression

Depression raises stress hormone levels in adolescent boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls, according to researchers. Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity – a major health issue.

“This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls,” said Elizabeth J. Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State. “We really haven’t seen this connection in kids before, but it tells us that there are biological risk factors that are similar for obesity and depression.”

Cortisol, a hormone, regulates various metabolic functions in the body and is released as a reaction to stress. Researchers have long known that depression and cortisol are related to obesity, but they had not figured out the exact biological mechanism.

Although it is not clear why high cortisol reactions translate into obesity only for girls, scientists believe it may be due to physiological and behavioral differences — estrogen release and stress eating in girls — in the way the two genders cope with anxiety. Read more

What Are Cluster Headaches? What Causes Cluster Headaches?

Cluster headaches (also used in singular: headache), also nicknamed suicide headaches, occur several times a day, they come on unexpectedly, do not last long, and are generally very painful. The pain is usually intense, and sometimes only on one side of the head. Frequently, the sufferer also feels pain around the eye.

A cluster-headache sufferer can wake up during the night because of the pain. Often, this occurs at the same time each night. The eye on the painful side of the head may be reddened and watery. The individual’s nose may be runny or blocked on the side of the nose where the pain is.

In northern countries cluster headaches tend to occur more frequently during the autumn (fall) and spring. Alcohol or extreme variations in temperature can trigger an episode during a cluster period – generally, the change in temperature refers to a rapid rise in body temperature.

Cluster headache attacks occur cyclically, hence the name. A bout of regular attacks – cluster periods – can last from a few days, weeks, to even months. This is followed by remission periods during which no headaches are felt.

Cluster headaches are not very common – they are said to affect about 1 in every 1,000 people. They affect men more often than women; about 80% of sufferers are men, most of them smokers. Fortunately, they generally have no long-term effects on the sufferer’s physical health. There are drugs, such as sumatriptan, and therapies, such as oxygen therapy, available which can significantly reduce the number and intensities of headaches. Read more

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