Researchers have found that the relationship between binge drinking and unemployment may be a two-way street. (Andreas Levers/Flickr Creative Commons)
In below-the-belt news today: The National Center for Health Statistics released data on Thursday which shows an overall decrease in oral sex among teens between 2002 and 2010, according to ABCNews.com. We learn from the BBC that "two handfuls of walnuts a day" improves sperm health among young men, and the Los Angeles Times reports that in California, between 2010 and 2011, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea cases jumped by 18, 5 and 1.5 percent, respectively.
On the unemployment front, the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has sobering news: While many studies have found that problem drinking is linked to subsequent unemployment, a new study has found that the reverse association may also be significant – at least among women. And HealthDay reports that more than 1,000 people in the U.K. may have committed suicide because of the 2008-10 recession.
HealthDay also says that when it comes to sick newborns, miscommunication is common between mothers and doctors, with mothers frequently underestimating the severity what their doctors mean when they say a child is sick.
As far as the older kids go, the Chicago Tribune reports that the number of kids in the U.S. who drink sugar-free beverages has doubled over the past 10 years, although researchers are still unsure what to make of the trend. And in "We didn't already know that?" news, another study found that a kid with a high level of self-control is less likely to be overweight later in his or her life, as reported by MSNBC.
The Food and Drug Administration is warning that using codeine in some kids post-surgery may cause them to die, and is looking into several cases where that's happened to make further determinations on the safety of codeine use in kids.
Also: The Atlantic reports on a new study that says egg yolks are almost as bad for your carotid artery as smoking. (That's right. Egg yolks.)
Finally, a tip of the hat to Mexico, for managing to achieve universal health coverage in less than a decade. The Lancet has a report on the progress Mexico has made toward achieving universal health care, highlighting the 50 million previously-uninsured Mexicans who have enrolled in the country's public insurance program since 2004. While significant challenges remain, researchers say it's still a remarkable feat.
Photo by Andreas Levers via Flickr Creative Commons.
