New York, NY, United States (AHN) – And yet another reason for women not to light up.

Researchers say that women who smoke may hit menopause about a year earlier than non-smokers.

The study, published in the journal Menopause, reviewed data from several pervious studies that included roughly 6,000 women from the United States, Poland and Turkey and Iran.

On average, non-smokers hit menopause between the ages of 46-51. Smokers however, reached menoucpase overall at around 43-50.

Both early and late menopause have been linked with health problems. Women who hit menopause later in life are believed to be at a greater risk for breast cancer because one risk for the disease is exposure to estrogen.

Earlier menopause is linked to a host of medical conditions including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease and others. Also, smoking may, overall, slightly increase of woman’s risk of death in years to follow.

In addition to smoking. alcohol use, weight gain or loss, and whether a woman has ever given birth may also effect a woman’s timing of menopause. The evidence for all the risk factors, except smoking, have been mixed.

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Tel Aviv, Israel (AHN) – A shot of cortisone may stop trauma victims from developing post traumatic stress disorder, according to a new study.

Researchers with Tel Aviv University said that if the shot is given within six hours of experiencing a traumatizing event, the patient may reduce his or her chances of developing PTSD by 60 percent.

Professor Joseph Zohar said the findings are important as more U.S. soldiers return home from combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Cortisone naturally secretes in the body when a person suffers from trauma, Zohar said. He tested his theory first on lab rats and then in a double-blind study on humans in an emergency room.

With the rats, two groups of the rodents were exposed to the smell of a cat. One group was treated with cortisone right after the event. Zohar said the treatment was effective on the rats.

The people in the ER were given either a shot of cortisone or a placebo. Follow-up exams taken two weeks, one month and three months after the traumatic event showed a significant decrease in PTSD development in the patients receiving the shot.

A full report on the study is published in the October issue of the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.

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Single moms may be at risk for poor health later in life. Of thousands of mothers who participated in a 30-year study, the ones who had delivered children outside of marriage reported being less healthy when they reached their 40s.

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A new research has suggested that omega-3 fatty acids combined with two blood-thinning drugs may prevent blood clotting and cut the risk of heart attacks.

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Boston, MA, United States (AHN) – More good news for coffee drinkers: a follow-up study by Harvard School of Public Health researchers suggests men who regularly drink the beverage are at a significantly lower risk of developing a deadly form of prostate cancer.

Even better news is that the benefit is there for men who drink both regular and decaffeinated coffee.

Coffee contains many beneficial compounds that act as antioxidants, reduce inflammation and regulate insulin. These compounds may influence prostate cancer, the researchers said. Coffee has been linked in previous studies with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, type-2 diabetes, gallstone disease, liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.

The Harvard study found specifically that men who consumed six or more cups a day had almost a 20 percent lower risk of developing any form of prostate cancer. Men in the study who were heavy coffee drinkers had a 60 percent lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer.

But even drinking one to three cups a day was associated with a 30 percent lower risk of lethal prostate cancer, the researchers said.

Coffee drinkers are more likely to smoke and less likely to exercise, but even after adjusting for these factors, the beverage was still associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer.

A full report on the study is published in the May 17 online edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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SUNDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) — If you think a properly installed car seat is guaranteed to protect your child, think again: A new study finds that children often unbuckle the seatbelts on their own, putting themselves at risk in a car accident.

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Toronto, Canada (AHN) – According to a recent study elevated levels of a protein that helps regulate the body’s blood pressure may also predict a major cardiovascular event in high-risk patients.

By assessing the protein, known as plasma renin activity (PRA), in the blood stream may give doctors another tool to assess a patient’s risk and help prevent a heart attack or stroke.

“Conventional factors like genetics and environment do not always provide a complete patient story and an understanding of cardiovascular risk,” says Dr. Subodh Verma, senior author, researcher and cardiovascular surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Verma goes on to say, “The plasma renin activity blood marker allows us to identify people at a higher risk and that gives us the opportunity to introduce therapies that would work to lower a patient’s PRA levels.”

If further testing proves conclusive analysis levels of the protein would be another tool in a doctor’s arsenal to evaluate a patient’s risk for heart attack or stroke, thereby providing preventative measures.

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Women who have hot flashes and night sweats at the start of menopause may be less likely to have a heart attack later in life, U.S. researchers said on Thursday….

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TUESDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) — Men and women with high triglyceride levels are at an increased risk of ischemic stroke, which typically occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked by a build-up of fatty deposits within blood vessels, a new Danish study contends.

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Eating more fruits and vegetables may not protect children from developing allergies, according to a large Swedish study that questions earlier hints of benefit.

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