Science and Mormonism

June 4, 2012

What's New in the Science & Mormonism Blog

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Life Style | Mormon Law of Health - Part 7: Alcohol | Alcohol May Trigger Serious Palpitations in Heart Patients
Life Style | Mormon Law of Health - Part 6: Tobacco | Smoking During Pregnancy Linked to Severe Asthma in Teen Years
Aging | Part 6: Heart and Vascular Disease | Dark Chocolate Could Prevent Heart Problems in High-Risk People
Family | Mormon Beliefs: Parenting Skills | Eat Healthily -- Your Kids Are Watching
Marriage | Happiness in Interpersonal Relationships | Marriage May Make People Happier
Lifestyle | Mormon Law of Health - Part 5: Nutrition | Mediterranean Diet Is Definitively Linked to Quality of Life
Lifestyle| Nutrition - Part 5a: Vitamin D | Too Much Vitamin D Can Be as Unhealthy as Too Little
Aging | Part 15: Obesity | PCB Exposure Linked to Increased Abdominal Fat
Lifestyle | Mormon Law of Health - Part 5: Nutrition | Bananas Are as Beneficial as Sports Drinks
Disasters | Air Pollution | Children Exposed to the Common Pollutant Naphthalene Show Signs of Chromosomal Damage
Lifestyle | Nutrition - Part 5a: Vitamin D | Older Adults May Need More Vitamin D to Prevent Mobility Difficulties
Aging | Part 6: Heart and Vascular Disease | 21st Century Bloodletting Reduces Cardiovascular Risk
Other Worlds | Part 4: Mars | Organic Carbon from Mars, but Not Biological

June 2, 2012

June 1, 2012

Happiness in Interpersonal Relationships

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What's New

Science is learning that marriage helps increase the happiness found in interpersonal relationships. A question that remain to be researched is whether this increase in happiness is limited to heterosexual marriage or if it will be found in same-sex marriages as well as in traditional marriages. Another question is whether civil unions outside of marriage increase the happiness of persons in the unions.

Following are the results of scientific research.

"Our study suggests that people on average are happier than they would have been if they didn't get married," said Stevie C.Y. Yap, a researcher in MSU's Department of Psychology.

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What's New

May 17, 2012

Part 3: Supplements

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What's New

In addition to getting nutrition from the foods they eat, many people take supplements to get additional nutrients. Scientists are concerned that supplements may not be the best way to get nutrition, and they are conducting research into supplements. Let's look at some of their findings.

The authors found that use of most supplements was not associated with reduced total mortality in older women, and many supplements appeared associated with increased mortality risk. After adjustment, use of multivitamins, vitamin B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper, were all associated with increased risk of death in the study population. Conversely, calcium supplements appear to reduce risk of mortality. The association between supplement intake and mortality risk was strongest with iron, and the authors found a dose-response relationship as increased risk of mortality was seen at progressively lower doses as women aged throughout the study.

Beta-carotene, selenium and folic acid -- taken up to three times their recommended daily allowance, these supplements are probably harmless. But taken at much higher levels as some supplement manufacturers suggest, these three supplements have now been shown to increase the risk of developing a host of cancers.

The evidence that dietary calcium is helpful while calcium supplements are not can be explained by the fact that dietary calcium is taken in small amounts, spread throughout the day, so is absorbed slowly, they say. Supplements, on the other hand, cause calcium levels in the blood to soar above the normal range, and it is this flooding effect which might ultimately be harmful, they suggest.