Impaired foetal growth linked with epilepsy riskInfants with impaired growth in the womb, indicated by low birth weight or birth before full term, appear to have an increased risk of epilepsy in early childhood. After studying 1.4 million babies born in Denmark between 1979 and 2002 till 24 years of age, researchers from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology that the association of low birth weight and short gestational age with epilepsy risk was particularly strong within first five years. The reason, they feel, could be that the immature brain is more susceptible to seizures when exposed to risk factors operating during prenatal life than the mature brain is. ZERO TO 20Study rejects Internet sex predator stereotypeThe typical online sexual predator is not someone posing as a teen to lure unsuspecting victims into face-to-face meetings that result in violent rapes, reported US researchers in American Psychologist. Rather, they tend to be adults who make their intentions of a sexual encounter plain to vulnerable teens who often believe they are in love with the predator. And contrary to the concerns of parents and law keepers, social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace do not appear to expose teens to greater risks, found the doctors from the Crimes Against Children Research Center at Durham’s University of New Hampshire. 20 TO 60Yogurt may take the bite out of gum diseaseRegularly eating yogurt and other foods with lactic acid may be good for your mouth, reported researchers from Japan’s Kyushu University. Dr. Yoshihiro Shimazaki and colleagues found that consuming yogurt and lactic acid drinks was significantly associated with better periodontal health, but, milk and cheese were not. Periodontal disease is a chronic bacterial condition associated with receding gums and tooth loss in adults. Outside of regular brushing and flossing, effective measures to allay this disease are limited. Compared to individuals reporting no lactic acid food intake, those eating 55 grams or more of yogurt or lactic acid drinks a day had significantly fewer markers of severe periodontal disease. 60 AND ABOVE Daytime dozing may be warning sign of strokeOlder people who have significant trouble staying awake during the day have more than four times the normal risk of having a stroke. Such people also have a higher risk of other cardiovascular diseases, said researchers from Columbia University at a conference of the American Stroke Association in New Orleans.
