It was discovered that women who being pregnant are stressed about money, relationships and other problems may give birth to babies predisposed to allergies and asthma. These findings were presented at a meeting of the American Thoracic Nation in Toronto. They suggest a mother's stress during pregnancy may gain lasting consequences to her child.

Dr. Rosalind Wright of Harvard Medical School in Boston said in a Statement that this research adds to a growing body of evidence that links maternal stress such as that precipitated by financial problems or relationship issues to changes in children's developing immune systems, even during pregnancy. He and his co-workers found mothers who were the most distressed during pregnancy were most likely to give birth to infants with higher levels of immunoglobulin E or IgE - an immune system compound. This was true even for those children whose mothers had only mild exposure to allergens during pregnancy.

Previous studies in animals showed that a mother's stress amplifies the effects of allergen exposure on the immune system of the developing offspring. The scientists wonder if they could find the same in humans...

For this aim they measured levels of IgE from the umbilical cord blood of 387 newborns in Boston. Child whose mothers had low exposure to dust mites in the home, but were the most stressed out still had high levels of IgE in their cord blood. This discovery that showed that stress increased the immune response to dust exposure. This was the thing irrespective of the mother's race, class, teaching or smoking history. Consequently, as researcher claimed, stress can be thought of as a social pollutant that, when 'breathed' into the pregnant woman’s body, may influence the body's immune response.

To some extent this study patterns recent discovery in children who have undergone stress by Dr. Andrea Danese of the University of London. Researchers there followed 1,000 general public in New Zealand from birth to the time of 32. They found children who had undergone maternal rejection, disagreeing discipline and sexual abuse and other kinds of maltreatment had twice the levels of inflammation in their blood even 20 years later. High levels of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, fibrinogen and immune cells increase a child's risk of heart disease and diabetes in future.

"Stress in childhood may modify developmental trajectories and have a long-term effect on disease risk," said Danese. He presented his findings on how early influences affect health and well-being last week at a conference in Chicago. The scientist also said maltreatment in childhood may impair the ability of glucocorticoids - hormones that inhibit inflammation - to respond to stress later in life, which could lead to depression and other psychiatric ills. He pointed out that children who have survived maltreatment should get an early start on preventive care for common adult diseases.

A recent research has shown that men can lower their levels of prostate specific antigen, a protein that can warn of prostate cancer, by keeping down their cholesterol. According to Dr. Murugesan Manoharan, an join professor of urology at the University of Miami Sylvester Complete Cancer Center, prostate cancer is controlled by the male hormone testosterone, witch in its turn is formed by cholesterol molecules. Consequently prostate cancer is related to testosterone, and testosterone is linked to cholesterol. So by lowering cholesterol, you also lower PSA, which in revolve may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

However scientists admit that this small study is only the beginning and it does not confirm anything. Nevertheless researchers say that it is a very good start that could lead to something more at a later point.

For the study, researchers collected data on 1,214 men taking statins, a cholesterol-lowering drugs. The researchers found that PSA levels were lower after starting the statins, and the drop in PSA was proportional to the drop in cholesterol.

The researchers also noted that the results of the study confirm those of a previous study also demonstrating that the lowering cholesterol lowered PSA. So it can provide more evidence that cholesterol plays a role in the biology of the prostate.

However scientists point out that it's not still clear, , whether lowering PSA with cholesterol-lowering drugs may actually hide developing prostate cancer. "Bringing down the PSA levels artificially does not mean necessarily decreasing the chance of developing prostate cancer," Manoharan said. "It might just bring the blood test reading down without reducing the risk of prostate cancer. In fact, we could miss the prostate cancer, because the PSA readings are on the lower side." It is clear that the new discovery needs to be studied further.

It’s worth also saying that two other studies were presented at the same time, confirming that so-called "watchful waiting" of men with a low risk of prostate cancer is a good option. Watchful waiting actually means following a strategy in which no treatment is given, but the patient is monitored to check the progress of the cancer. But, the results of another study said that PSA exams and digital rectal exams aren't good predictors of the progress of prostate cancer. It was suggested that better monitors of the disease need to be developed.

Experts affirm that it's better for your health as well as for your weight to eat breakfast than to skip it. Moreover it's definitely better to eat a healthy breakfast, full of fibers and nutrients, than one full of refined grains, sugar, salt, and/or saturated fat. That’s why I’m going to give you one advice that will certainly help to make your breakfast more healthy and consequently will improve your health.

So, to keep your breakfast balanced try to "strive for five." That means to include at least 5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein in every breakfast. Lots of people start their day with a refined-flour bagel, a muffin made with sugar and white flour, or a sugary low-fiber breakfast cereal. That means that they have a breakfast made up mostly of refined carbohydrates with very little fiber and protein. Balancing carbohydrates (preferably from whole grains, fruit and vegetables) with some protein and a little healthier fat will serve you better fueling your entire morning's activities.

Actually there are some tips for making sure your breakfast is a well-balanced one, as well as some quick and healthy breakfast recipes. Remember that healthy breakfast has at least 5 grams of protein/ That’s extremely important. Low-fat or nonfat dairy products can add protein to your breakfast, as well as egg whites or egg substitute (egg yolk doesn't contribute protein); lean breakfast meats like Canadian bacon, extra-lean ham, turkey bacon, or light turkey sausage; different soy products including soy milk and others.

Another important thing to remember is: healthy breakfast has at least 5 grams of fiber. The easiest way to get to those 5 grams of fiber is to include a whole grain and/or fruit or vegetables with your breakfast. It’s necessary to mention that whole grains along with fiber also offer many health-promoting vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. You can get grains at breakfast by eating: Hot oatmeal (or another hot whole-grain cereal); cold whole-grain cereal; 100% whole-wheat bread, small bagel, English muffin, or tortilla; pancakes and waffles made with at least half whole-wheat flour (you can also add oats, oat bran, or ground flaxseed for an extra nutrition boost); muffins and cinnamon rolls made with at least half whole-wheat flour.

Try to improve your food during breakfasts and you’ll see the improvement of tour health as quickly as you start. Moreover, it’s not only good for health, it’s also quite tasty.