Prior research has indicated that alcoholism can be genetic, but what’s the actual “trigger” that sets the disease off among people with drinking genes?

A new study finds that people who have alcoholic parents drink substantially more when exposed to stressful situations.

In the study, researchers divided 58 healthy people into two groups based on whether they had a family history of alcoholism or not. The people in both groups were then randomly assigned to one of two situations, one of which induced stress.

The groups were subsequently allowed to drink alcohol or a placebo, depending on which situation they had been assigned to.

“The results showed that people with parents who have a history of alcohol abuse drink more than others when exposed to stress,” said Anna Gordh, study researcher.

The researchers say it’s important for children of alcoholics to take note of their response to stress, because if the first instinct is to turn to the bottle, then there may be a serious underlying problem.

Alcoholics’ children are already twice as likely than others to have a drinking problem in the future, and it is important not to exacerbate that risk by drinking excessively in the face of stress, the researchers said.

“If alcohol relaxes you when you’re stressed, then you should try to find other ways of calming yourself down – relaxation exercises, for example,” said Gordh.

The study was published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behaviour.

With the big 2012 elections looming, researchers are reporting an interesting new finding: Voting causes stress.

Now, it’s not news that elections are charged, emotionally-stimulating times, especially in the present climate.

However, the study did not focus on the weeks leading up to an election, instead, it zeroed in on the very act of voting itself.

They found the level of cortisol, a hormone secreted in times of stress to help the body cope, was nearly three times higher just before voting than the cortisol level of the control group.

Not only that, the effect persisted. Twenty-one months later, the voters’ cortisol levels were still nearly twice as high as the control group.

The study was conducted on Israel’s Election Day in 2009 on 113 people who were on their way to vote. The voters were asked to give a saliva sample for cortisol testing and to complete a questionnaire measuring emotional arousal at a stand about 10 meters from the ballot box.

The control group consisted of other people from the same area, who were asked to do the same thing, but did not plan on voting.

“It is unclear whether this pressure on Election Day can influence people and cause them not to vote at all,” said Professor Hagit Cohen, study researcher. “Impact on voter turnout is particularly important given that the stress levels rise if our preferred party or candidate for whom we want to vote is not popular in the polls and projections.”

The study was published in European Neuropsychopharmacology.

Labor Day weekend heralds the start of September and, in turn, a new school year.

Are your kids ready to go back to school? Sure, they probably have their school supplies by now, but what about their vaccinations?

Here some of the back-to-school guidelines I think are the most important to address to ensure your children have a happy, healthy year:

Vaccinations

In order to enter kindergarten, there are a number of required vaccinations children must receive, though they vary from state to state. Check with your school system for specific requirements. Additionally, in New York, children must receive the booster for TDAP in order to enter middle school.

Other vaccines, such as Hepatitis A or chicken pox boosters, are recommended, but not required. Also, don’t forget to get an influenza shot ahead of the upcoming flu season this year. Kids are busy enough without having to worry about getting sick!

Nutrition

Three meals a day is still the rule of thumb for children, according to nutritionists. Kids shouldn’t skip breakfast because this can lead to weight gain. They should also avoid fried or sugary foods in the school cafeteria at lunch.

Make sure kids are drinking enough water to avoid dehydration during warmer months. This holds especially true for athletes, who have to exert extra energy and sometimes wear heavy gear during practice.

Exercise

Kids need daily exercise. I know we’re all tied to our laptops and iPods or what have you (and I think my kid’s cell phones might actually need to be surgically removed from their hands) but it’s important to set technology aside for an hour or so to run around outside.

Studies have shown that sedentary lifestyles lead to a number of health problems, and I’m not just talking about weight gain. In recent years, more and more kids have been diagnosed with typically “adult” diseases, such as type II diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol.

Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important factors that influence health. Students have a lot going on during the school year, from clubs to sports to music lessons or other extracurricular activities – and that’s not even factoring in nightly homework assignments.

Don’t let your child get too overbooked this year. Inadequate rest can increase susceptibility to illness, as well as cause weight gain and lower concentration in class, among other health problems. Eight hours of sleep a night should be the absolute minimum, especially for younger children.

Finally, try not to stress too much. I know school comes with certain pressures and expectations, but one of the most important things kids can do to keep themselves healthy both physically and mentally is to cut out the anxiety and take the time to have fun. Have a good school year, everyone!

Could a father’s level of stress affect his unborn children? A new study suggests that there may be a relationship between a dad’s stress and his child’s risk of developing depression.

It has already been established in prior studies that the risk of developing depression is significantly increased by exposure to chronic stress, both from the the environment and from genetics.

While most studies to date have focused on maternal effects, the researchers in this case worked with male mice and found that those exposed to chronic stress pass along the stress behaviors to their offspring.

Both male and female offspring showed increased depression and anxiety-like behaviors, though the effects were stronger in males.

Additionally, these behavioral effects were only seen in offspring produced through natural reproduction, and not in those produced via in vitro fertilization. This suggests that most stress-related vulnerabilities are transmitted to children behaviorally.

These findings in mice raise the possibility that part of an individual’s risk for clinical depression or other stress-related disorders may be determined by his or her father’s life exposure to stress, a provocative suggestion that now requires direct study in humans,” said lead author Dr. Eric Nestler, from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

The study was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

The scenario: He comes home tired, cranky and with something clearly on his mind. Despite repeated attempts to get him to open up, he brushes them aside and turns on the television, still stewing in silence.

Sound familiar?

While, psychologists have told us that males avoid talking about their feelings out of the fear of appearing weak, a new study suggests the real reason is actually much simpler: They feel that discussing problems is a waste of time.

University of Missouri researchers conducted four different studies of nearly 2000 males and females. They found that while females had positive expectations of how talking about problems would make them feel, such as expecting to feel cared for, understood, and less alone, males simply said that talking about problems would make them feel “weird” and as if they were “wasting time.”

Contrary to what the researchers expected, males did not express any more negative sentiments towards discussing problems than females did. For example, they did not expect to feel embarrassed, worried about being teased or bad about not taking care of the problem themselves.

“For years, popular psychologists have insisted that boys and men would like to talk about their problems but are held back by fears of embarrassment or appearing weak,” said associate professor Amanda Rose.

“However, when we asked young people how talking about their problems would make them feel, boys didn’t express angst or distress about discussing problems any more than girls,” she said. “Instead, boys’ responses suggest that they just don’t see talking about problems to be a particularly useful activity.”

The findings, according to the researchers, indicate that parents and psychologists advocate a middle ground when discussing problems.

“For boys, it would be helpful to explain that, at least for some problems, some of the time, talking about their problems is not a waste of time,” Rose said. “Yet, parents also should realize that they may be ‘barking up the wrong tree’ if they think that making boys feel safer will make them confide. Instead, helping boys see some utility in talking about problems may be more effective.”

In fact, Rose said, too much problem talk has been linked with depression and anxiety.

The study results may also play into romantic relationships, many of which involve a “pursuit-withdraw cycle” in which one partner (usually the woman) pursues talking about problems while the other (usually the man) withdraws.

“Women may really push their partners to share pent-up worries and concerns because they hold expectations that talking makes people feel better,” Rose said. “But their partners may just not be interested and expect that other coping mechanisms will make them feel better. Men may be more likely to think talking about problems will make the problems feel bigger, and engaging in different activities will take their minds off of the problem. Men may just not be coming from the same place as their partners.”

The study will be published in the journal Child Development. It was funded by the National Institute for Mental Health.

Growing evidence suggests that common antioxidants may help treat infertility issues in both men and women, according to researchers.

A new analysis concludes that antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, and in particular, lipoic acid, may prevent certain factors that can lead to infertility problems and erectile dysfunction.

According to researchers, a condition called “oxidative stress” may be an underlying factor that contributes to infertility.  Oxidative stress is brought on by free radicals that destroy nitric oxide and reduce its function.

Because antioxidants can help control free radicals, scientists believe that nutritional therapies that incorporate these compounds may have significant potential in treating reproductive issues. Some existing medical treatments for erectile dysfunction actually work by increasing production of nitric oxide.

So far, researchers say that laboratory and in-vitro studies have been very promising, especially with newer antioxidants such as lipoic acid.  Polyphenols, which are found in vegetables, chocolate and tea, are also being studied.

Nutrition therapies could someday address a number of infertility problems, ranging from erectile dysfunction in men to egg implantation and endometriosis in women, as well as reduce the serious, sometimes fatal condition of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy. In addition, antioxidants may also improve the quality and health of semen and eggs.

Current statistics indicate that as many as 50 percent of conceptions fail and 20 percent of clinical pregnancies end in miscarriage, making infertility a much more common and widespread problem than most hopeful parents-to-be would expect.

“Some people and physicians are already using antioxidants to help with fertility problems, but we don’t have the real scientific evidence yet to prove its efficacy,” said lead researcher Tony Hagen. “It’s time to change that.”

The study was published in the journal Pharmacological Research.