Americans appear to be drinking less alcohol

The overall consumption of alcohol is declining among Americans, new research suggests. However, there does not appear to be any significant decline in alcohol-related disorders.

The findings were derived from the drinking habits of 8600 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, a multigenerational study of risk factors for heart disease and other chronic diseases that began in 1948.

In addition to an overall decline in drinking, Dr. Yuqing Zhang of Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues found that Americans are drinking significantly less beer and more wine, while intake of hard liquor has remained largely unchanged.

The results also show that younger people (born later in the 20th century) drink more moderately than older people and that alcohol consumption tends to decline as people age. The number of people describing themselves as non-drinkers also increased markedly with age, according to the researchers.

In the latest issue of The American Journal of Medicine, Zhang and colleagues say the findings "may be considered encouraging in many ways." The average alcohol consumption has decreased among individuals born more recently; the percentage of the population exhibiting "moderate" drinking" has increased steadily; and the percentage of "heavy drinkers" has decreased over time."

"While these data suggest the development of more favorable patterns of alcohol consumption over the latter part of the 20th century, they also show that, at the same time, the cumulative incidence of alcohol use disorders has not shown a decrease, and continuing efforts at preventing them are warranted," they emphasize.

SOURCE: The American Journal of Medicine, August 2008.

North pole may be ice-free by 2013

The meltdown in the Arctic is speeding up and as a result the north pole could be ice-free by 2013 instead of in 60 years’ time as earlier predicted, scientists have warned.

Their apprehensions are based on computer studies of satellite images that reveal that ice at north pole melted at an unprecedented rate last week - the disappearance is said to have exceeded the record loss of more than a million square kilometres in 2007 as global warming tightened its grip.

"It does not really matter whether 2007 or 2008 is the worst year on record for Arctic sea ice.

"The crucial point is that ice is clearly not building up enough over winter to restore cover and that when you combine current estimates of ice thickness with the extent of the ice cap, you get a very clear indication that the Arctic is going to be ice-free in summer in five years.

"And when that happens, there will be consequences," British newspaper The Observer quoted Prof Wieslaw Maslowski of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey as saying.

Using the US navy supercomputers, his team produced a forecast which indicated that by 2013 there will be no ice in the Arctic - other than a few outcrops on islands near Greenland and Canada between mid-July and mid-September.

Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University added: "The most detailed computer models suggest the Arctic’s summer ice is going to last for only a few more years - and given what we have seen happen last week, I think they are probably correct.

'On pill? Forget your Mr Right'

Give a second thought before you pop the next contraceptive pill, for a study has revealed that it may disrupt a women’s natural ability to choose Mr Right.

A team at Liverpool University in Britain has carried out the study and found that the contraceptive pill changes a woman’s choice in men by altering the way she actually reacts to a male body odour.

According to experts, a man’s aroma gives a clue to his type of genes and ability to fight disease, and women subconsciously react to the smell to pinpoint a partner with dissimilar genes to themselves. But taking the pill could disrupt this ability to sniff out the ideal partner, the Daily Telegraph reported.

And some possible consequences — women could be more attracted to partners with whom it would be harder to conceive if they want children, an increased risk of miscarriage and long intervals between pregnancies.

Passing on a lack of diverse genes to a child could also weaken the women’s immune system. Known as Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), different MHC molecules fight different diseases, so it is important to have a mix of MHC types, according to the researchers.

The British team analysed how the birth prevention pill affects odour preferences on 100 women. They did not find that women who were not on the pill were more attracted to men with a different MHC, showing that the extent to which preferences for genetically dissimilar odours varies from study to study.

Thank God, it's a boy!

Numerous scientific studies being conducted worldwide today link a mother’s diet to the sex of the child. These studies talk about high calorie diets that ‘boost’ chances of a baby boy; mete out advice for wannabe mums: cereals for a boy, diet for a girl! Are we still obsessed with having a male child?

‘Putrarthe kriyathe varja’ is an ancient Sanskrit phrase that means: ‘we marry with the soul aim to have a son to keep the clan progressing’. These words are just as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.

They reflect the age-old desire, rather, obsession, for the male child not only in India but in the West too. Yes, astonishing as it may sound, an increasing number of studies are being conducted worldwide that advise mothers-to-be on diets and practices to be followed for a baby boy.

The male-child syndrome
Take a look at this. According to a study conducted at Britain’s Oxford and Exeter Universities, a high calorie diet at the time of conception increases the chances of having a baby boy.

Another study ‘warns’ that the chances of giving birth to a baby girl are higher for mothers who are on a diet around the time of conception. Yet another one links mom’s aggressive temperament or for that matter the day of intercourse with the likelihood of conceiving a male child!

Coming to India, the fixation with a male child takes on a whole new meaning. From grandmothers, to mothers, nannies, and even religious gurus – just about anyone has some hot ‘tip’ to give to wannabe mums.

These tips include, though not limited to, asking mother-to-be to eat bananas (rich in potassium) every morning to have a baby boy; gorging on salty snacks (rich in sodium) and cereals; and even asking fathers-to-be to have a cup of coffee before intercourse!

Diets aside, ‘tips’ are also generously dished out on important positions and days. Seventy-five year old Nirmala Devi takes the guarantee of a baby boy if the woman lies on her left during intercourse; according to a priest at a temple: “Conceiving on full moon night gives a baby boy.”

Couples also rely on practices like numerology and astrology to determine the sex of the baby. “We constantly get queries from people asking prediction about their child’s sex and also measures to conceive a baby boy, “informs numerologist Rajesh Khattar. So intense is the desperation shown by these couples that Khattar ends up with suggestions such as: finding a suitable mating day or a particular age of the mother in which chances of giving birth to a baby boy are higher.

Do these measures provide any guarantees? Do they actually work? “There’s no guarantee; however the solutions are based on the experience of a few people. They might and might not work for everybody. Personally, I discourage such queries but couples are in no mood to listen to ‘no’,” says Khattar.

“I couldn’t believe when a Korean couple asked if mating on the day of ovulation could get them a male baby?” says Dr. Ranjana Gupta, gynaecologist at Fortis La Femme.

s it an obsession?
That brings us back to where we started: are we still obsessed with the male child? The answer to that is not hard to find. A glimpse at the census figures shows a dwindling sex ratio in the country. The number of girls for every 1,000 boys in India has fallen to 927 in 2001 from 962 in 1981. In some states the men have to look elsewhere for brides.

Elaborates Dr. Ranjana, “To some extent still there exists an obsession for the male child. Though the picture is gradually changing and we do come across couples who are not bothered about the sex of the baby and also some who actually want a baby girl. At the same time we cannot ignore the large number of couples who come in with a desire to have a male child and ask for hit and trial methods like the position or day or diet to have one. ”

For what joy?
In India, the reasons behind the deep-rooted desire to have a male child are two-fold: one, to further the clan, and two, societal pressure.

Rohit and Nandini, both bankers are going to have their first baby and they want a boy. Ask them why and ‘family expectations’ are cited as the reason: “It’s my grandmothers’ wish to see her great grandson before she dies,” explains Rohit.

Another couple, Sadhna and Rajesh, who are planning their family, have a healthy baby on their wish list. For Rashi and Vikas who already have a girl, “having a baby boy as their second child will not just be a mark of completion to our family but will also keep everybody happy at home.”

“Those who are having a second child after a baby girl are more eager to have a boy and want to try out different methods. But we always tell them to pray for a healthy baby,” says Dr. Rinku Sengupta, gynaecologist.

For some, a baby boy signifies happiness and a ‘complete family’, for others it is important to fulfill family expectations. No matter how ‘open-minded’ or ‘content’ families may appear to be, the desire for a male child drives couple to follow ‘tips’ mindlessly.

According to Dr. Rinku : “There is no medical proof of such studies, so we always discourage our patients to try such methods. Still, we meet couples who are quite adamant to try things like conceiving on a particular day during the ovulation cycle or in a particular position, justifying it with the fact that if there’s no benefit there’s no harm either.”

Where are we going wrong?
Whether such practices cause harm will always remain a matter of debate, a constant tussle between the mind and the heart, the believers and non-believers.

The question is: is the desire for a male child so deep-rooted that it’s still most venerated by all? The question becomes all the more consequential for countries such as India, where skewed sex ratios tell a darker story – female infanticide.

There cannot be a worse plight for a nation where the Prime Minister himself has to come forward with an urge to save the girl child and Dr. Manmohan Singh recently did that calling it “national shame” for a country that’s riding high on economic prosperity.

So when Meenakshi, a young mother, out the many that we had already spoken to, stated her wish to have a baby girl, even after having one already, it felt that all was not lost. Hope exists. Of course, the battle will only be won when more and more Meenakshis are born.