Prenatal exposure to phthalates, a class of chemicals that are widely used in consumer products ranging from plastic toys to building materials to shampoo, may put children at increased risk of developmental problems, according to a new study.

Recent studies in pre-school children have found that prenatal phthalate exposure may lead to mental, motor and behavioral problems.

One study followed 319 non-smoking, inner-city pregnant women and measured their exposure to phthalates through urine tests. The researchers followed up with developmental tests on the children three years later.

The results indicated that higher prenatal exposure to pthalates significantly increased the odds of motor delay and behavior problems, including anxiety, depression and withdrawal. Among girls, phthalates were associated with decreases in mental development.

The women in the highest exposure group had double, sometimes triple, the odds of having a child with developmental delays compared to the women in the lowest exposure group.

“The results add to a growing public health concern about the widespread use of phthalates in consumer products,” said Robin Whyatt, DrPH, study researcher.

While the researchers are still uncertain as to how pthalates affect the developing brain, they do know that the chemicals are endocrine disrupters, meaning that they affect the hormone system in the body. Prior research suggests pthalates affect thyroid function, as well as lower testosterone, which plays a critical role in brain development.

The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

As a doctor, I receive questions every day both in my practice and email inbox. Sometimes, the questions take me by surprise. Take today’s question, for example.

A man just emailed me wanting to know if he could eat his way to attractiveness. I wish I had thought of that before I settled down with my wife, especially with all the food I eat! But his question did peak my curiosity. So, here is his question and my answer.

Are there foods out there that will make a man more attractive to women? If so, what are they? Thanks! – Joshua

I could give the usual lecture on diet and exercise (we all know most women appreciate a good physique) but I decided to look at a different kind of science in approaching this question.

I’m talking about pheromones, which are chemicals that a person emits that influence the behavior or psychology of other people.

While this sounds like “fad” medicine, there is some scientific support that certain foods can influence females in mysterious ways.

One such food is celery, which naturally contains a male steroid hormone called androstenene. While widely regarded as “rabbit food”, eating celery supposedly causes your sweat glands to release the pheromone androstenal, which is used in body sprays as an aphrodisiac.

Celery is also a good source of vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, fiber, calcium and vitamin B6, so it’s definitely a good staple to have in your diet, whether it works on the ladies or not.

Also, try truffles. It isn’t the cheapest food out there, but according to researchers, truffles contain androstenone and the pheromone androstenol, just like celery.

Besides pheromones, truffles also contain high amounts of protein as well as calcium, potassium and magnesium.

Finally, add parsnips to your diet for both the pheromones and the boost of boron, which helps your body metabolize estrogen and enhances blood levels of testosterone.

Parsnips are fat-free and a good source of vitamin c, folic acid and fiber.

If you’re interested in more solid science, studies have shown that foods that contain vitamin C or zinc, such as oysters, are great for your skin and have noticeable anti-aging properties, while foods with high amounts of biotin, such as swiss chard, are good for healthy hair.

However, despite the fact that these foods may help, please remember women like respect, appreciation, good moral values and a kind and healthy heart. So don’t eat too much.

Even with treatment, obese men have an elevated risk of prostate cancer worsening, a new study has found.

Duke University Medical Center researchers have found further proof of a link between obesity and prostate cancer, which have both increased in prevalence in the United States and Europe in recent years.

About one in six men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.  Prostate cancer is the second-most lethal cancer for men.

The Duke researchers studied nearly 300 men whose prostates had been removed due to cancer.  Because their cancers had reappeared, the men were also given androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a chemical that inhibits the production of testosterone, which fuels prostate tumors.

They found that men who were overweight or obese had three times greater risk of the cancer spreading compared to normal men, despite receiving the same treatment.

Furthermore, overweight and obese men had an increased risk of their cancer spreading to the bone.  The heavier the men were, the greater the risk.

Lead researcher Christopher Keto, M.D., a urologic fellow at Duke University Medical Center, said that additional studies were needed to determine why heavy men fare worse than normal-weight men in regards to prostate cancer.  He suggested the problem may, in part, be due to the dosage of ADT.

“We think perhaps obese men may require additional ADT,” Keto said in a press release. “The dose is the same regardless of weight, while most drugs are dosed according to weight.”

New trials have also commenced to test the effects of diet and exercise on overweight and obese men whose prostate cancer treatment includes hormone therapy.

“If obesity is bad for prostate cancer, we may have to be more aggressive in our treatment,” said Stephen J. Freedland, M.D., associate professor of urology in the Duke Prostate Cancer Center and senior author of the study. “Ultimately, we aim to learn why, which in turn can lead us to better treatments for these men.”

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association.

We know driving under the influence of alcohol can lead to terrible consequences, but what about driving under the influence of euphoria?  A new study suggests that traffic fatalities rise among fans of winning teams on game days.

“The thrill of victory may result in a not-so-thrilling consequence for winning fans’ drive home,” researchers said in a press release. “While some sports junkies will be quick to tell you they live and die by whether their favorite sports team wins, there may be more truth in their statements than they know.”

The researchers analyzed data from 271 sporting events that took place over an eight-year period. The games were highly anticipated football and basketball games, such as playoffs and rivalry games, both professional and collegiate. They also had sports fans rate the closeness of the games.

The researchers then cross checked the data with statistics from the national Highway Safety Administration’s traffic fatality database to determine how many fatal traffic accidents occurred in the winning team’s hometowns on the dates of the games.

“We find that the closer a game is the more automobile fatalities there are, especially those involving alcohol,” the researchers said. “This increase in number of fatalities, however, only happens in locations with high numbers of winning fans (game sites and winning hometown).”

In other words, there was no similar increase in traffic accidents in the losing teams’ hometowns.

High levels of testosterone after witnessing a close game seem to influence how fans of the winning team drive, according to the authors.

“It would be wise to allow for a ‘cooling off’ period, where one could bask in the glory of victory safely,” the researchers advised.

I’m sure this won’t come as a surprise to all you long-suffering women out there.

A new study indicates that testosterone, the male sex hormone, may interfere with empathy, according to the BBC News.

Sixteen women volunteers were given a small dosage of testosterone, then asked to examine pictures of faces and guess the mood of the person pictured.  While women typically are better able at determining mood than men, after being administered testosterone, their results deteriorated.

Researchers say that this may provide a clue into the development of autism, which is defined, in part, by difficulty in communicating and interacting socially.  It can be a challenge for people living with autism to read the emotions of otherwise – in other words, to empathize with them.

Autism occurs in a much higher rate than males and females, and some scientists suspect it may be due to testosterone exposure in the womb.

Click here to read more from the BBC News.

One reason—if not the main reason—we diet and exercise is that we want to look good to the opposite sex (or maybe the same sex).

And, of course, one reason—if not the main reason—we want to do that is to be attractive to our (real or imagined) sexual partner.

Now, what does any of this have to do with health, you wonder? The answer is, plenty. A healthy sex life improves your overall quality of life. It improves your immune system because it significantly relieves stress. Good physical exercise burns calories, and it improves your mood by pumping endorphins into your bloodstream that make you feel good. It also plays a key role in keeping couples together, so the benefits of sex are innumerable.

But once you get on into your forties, you might find your sex drive shifting into a lower gear. This diminished or lack of sex drive is more common in women than it is in men. Even men with erectile dysfunction usually have a normal sex drive. While libido problems can be either physical or psychological, the root causes tend to be the same in both sexes. Alcoholism is the main physical factor responsible for a decreased libido; another is drug abuse, of cocaine, for example.

Obesity and anemia are other potential physical problems. And there are certain tumors of the pituitary gland that increase the hormone prolactin, which lowers the libido. Some prescribed medications, especially antidepressants, lower the level of the hormone testosterone, which is needed by both sexes to maintain an adequate sex drive. Psychological factors influencing libido include depression, stress, and confusions about sexual orientation.

Anyone with a lack of sexual desire should first try to take these factors out of the equation. So if you’re drinking excessively, overweight, depressed, or taking medications, these issues need to be dealt with to resolve a flagging libido. Counseling can help with the psychological problems of sexual hang-ups, depression, or stress.

There is no magic remedy for the loss of sexual libido. Though testosterone has been identified as a key hormone that improves sexual appetite in women, doctors who have been giving women testosterone supplements for the past 30 years have found that it has little effect on their libido, while it sometimes causes facial hair growth, a deepened voice, and an enlargement of the clitoris.

I have no doubt that one day there will be a libido pill for women and men, as I’m sure the drug companies are hard at work on this potentially lucrative solution.

There are a number of other sexual problems that women may experience at any age. One is dyspareunia, or painful sexual intercourse. Any part of the genitals can cause pain during sex, including the skin around the vagina. Vaginal infections, like yeast infections or viral infections, are a common cause, and the pain can be felt when either a tampon or penis is inserted into the vagina. It can also occur from just sitting or wearing pants. To treat dyspareunia, physicians may recommend hormone creams, dilators to help stretch the vagina, Kegel exercises, or, in rare cases, antidepressants.

Another potential cause of dyspareunia is vaginismus, an involuntary contraction of the vaginal muscles that may prevent insertion of the penis during intercourse. The diagnosis of vaginismus is usually problematic because it’s often difficult to separate the physical pain with the emotional anxiety of experiencing that pain; in other words, just the fear of the pain can cause vaginismus.

Any woman complaining of these symptoms should be taken seriously. A doctor must conduct a physical examination to eliminate the possibility of such physical causes as infections, fibroids, or anatomical deformities of the uterus, ovaries, or vagina. Even vaginal dryness can cause painful sex. A decrease in estrogen at menopause can cause the vaginal walls to become dry, creating a discomfort or pain during intercourse.

If there are no treatable physical conditions, it’s important to discuss the woman’s feelings as well as the physical situations that lead to this type of discomfort. Some women have a very positive attitude toward sex; other women have had negative sexual experiences that play a significant role in their fears and negative feelings about sex.

Some women may have a history of sexual abuse, rape, or trauma, for instance; these things need to be identified in a very delicate way. Treatment of vaginismus usually involves practicing relaxation techniques and doing Kegel exercises to relax the vaginal muscles. At home, one exercise that may prove beneficial is to have your partner gradually insert a dilator into your vagina. This must be done at a pace with which you feel comfortable until the pain and discomfort are overcome. Partner, doctor, and patient all have to be in sync for this type of therapy to be successful.

Many women experience discomfort or pain at the time of their period. This pain is caused by contractions of the muscle of the uterus during menstruation that occur due to the release of the prostaglandins, which are hormones that are produced in the lining of the uterus. For most women these menstrual contractions are neither severe nor disabling. But some women experience significant menstrual pains called dysmenorrhea.

Women suffering from dysmenorrhea should exercise, get plenty of sleep, and avoid stress. Over-the-counter painkillers can minimize the amount of prostaglandins released, and they usually help reduce the pain. If the painkillers are not effective, your doctor will have to look for other things that are causing the pain. And ultrasound is sometimes used in such cases to make sure you don’t have any other medical conditions, like pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, or fibroids.