A weekly round-up of news affecting your health:
ALZHEIMER'S DECLINE LINK
Gum disease has been linked to greater rates of cognitive decline in people with early stages of Alzheimer's.
A possible reason for the quicker decline may relate to the body's response to inflammatory conditions like gum disease, say the authors of the small British study that involved 59 people with mild to moderate dementia.
Those with gum disease, or periodontitis, had a six-fold increase in the rate of cognitive decline over the six-month follow-up period.
A bigger study was needed to see if the results were replicated, but the authors also suggested it would be worth exploring whether the treatment of gum disease might benefit the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.
DON'T PASS THE SALT PLEASE
More bad news for salt lovers - it's been found to promote overeating of fatty foods.
Adding salt to a food increased its palatability and consumption, according to two Deakin University studies.
Overall, the participants increased their food and energy intake by 11 per cent.
High-fat and high-salt foods override the body's ability to recognise when we are full and causes us to eat more energy, say the researchers.
"The results of these studies could add weight to calls for the reduction of salt in foods, as adding salt increased the amount of energy people eat," said researcher Professor Russell Keast.
"In an environment where too much energy is causing weight gain and diabetes, lowering salt could have a positive impact on our nation's weight."
NUTTY SOLUTION
The practice of giving peanut products to babies to avoid the risk of allergy has been backed up by new research.
A British study in 2015 found that eating peanuts in infancy cut the risk of allergy by 80 per cent.
It looked at 550 children deemed prone to developing a peanut allergy.
The BBC reports that the new research suggests that if a child has consumed peanut snacks within the first 11 months of life, then at the age of five they can afford to stop eating the food entirely for a year, and maintain no allergy.
SWEET DREAMS
Kids who soothe themselves back to sleep from an early age adjust to school more easily than those who don't.
One in three children have escalating problems sleeping across birth to five years, according to QUT researchers.
That increased their risk of emotional and behavioural issues at school and put them at risk of attention deficit disorders.
The study, involved 2880 children, was published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology.
The researchers analysed the sleep behaviour of those born in 2004 until they turned six or seven.
"The overwhelming finding is its vital to get children's sleep behaviours right by the time they turn five," they said.
They suggested that before children started school, parents could withdraw habits like lying with children over and over, and letting them into their bed.
LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX
Adults diagnosed with cardiovascular disease are being sought for a sex study.
Up to 87 per cent of the 3.72 million Australians living with the disease also experience sexual dysfunction, says Dr Leah East from Deakin University's School of Nursing and Midwifery.
"Sexual health is often seen as a taboo topic by healthcare professionals and patients alike, so many people are suffering in silence," Dr East said.
Medicines used to treat the disease could often cause sexual problems.
"Research tell us that patients want and welcome information and care associated with their sexual health and well-being, however these needs are often not met."
Providing health professionals with a screening tool would enable routine screening to identify possible problems and assist in providing appropriate sexual healthcare.
The study also wants to hear the views of health professionals.
email l.east@deakin.edu.au
