Health Headlines - August 11

Behavioral Therapy Won't Curb Premature Ejaculation: Review

There's not enough evidence to support behavioral therapy for premature ejaculation, according to researchers who reviewed four previously published studies involving a total of 253 men.

The cause of premature ejaculation, which affects up to 30 percent of men worldwide, is unknown, ABC News reported.

Only four studies were included in the Cochrane Review because 13 others were too small or failed to meet certain standards.

Despite the findings, some experts believe that behavioral therapy meant to ease the anxiety about the condition can be helpful when used with medication, ABC Newsreported.

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Mother Influences Child's Food Tastes Before Birth

The food eaten by pregnant women influences their children's food preferences later in life, according to researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.

The flavors of what the mother consumes fill the amniotic fluid that surrounds and nourishes the baby, who forms memories of these flavors even before birth.

"Things like vanilla, carrot, garlic, anise, mint -- these are just some of the flavors that have been shown to be transmitted to amniotic fluid or mother's milk," Monell researcher Julie Mennella told National Public Radio, ABC News reported.

This means that mothers can shape their children's lifetime food preferences. For example, eating broccoli during pregnancy could increase the chances that your baby will like broccoli.

The research may explain why children whose families eat a wide range of foods have more diverse diets, ABC News reported.

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Officials Investigating Minnesota Anthrax Case

A rare case of anthrax inhalation is being investigated by Minnesota health officials.

The FBI has determined that the case is not the result of a criminal or terrorist act and health officials say there is no significant threat to the general public, Agence France-Presse reported.

The case involves a person who was hospitalized after coming into contact with soil and animal remains while traveling through western states. Humans can contract anthrax if they handle infected animal carcasses, contaminated wool or hides, or ingest soil or meat from infected animals.

"All evidence points to this case of anthrax being caused by exposure to naturally occurring anthrax in the environment," said Ruth Lynfield, a Minnesota state epidemiologist, AFP reported.

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Moms of Twins Have Heavier Single Babies

Mothers who've had twins have heavier single babies, a new study says.

Researchers analyzed the birth weights of about 1,900 babies born to 700 mothers in The Gambia and found that single babies born to women who'd had twins were about 100 grams (0.21 lbs) heavier than babies born to single-baby mothers, BBC Newsreported.

A hormone called IGF may be responsible for this pattern, according to Ian Rickard, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Sheffield in the U.K.

The study was published in the journal Biology Letters.