Health Tips ... from UPI

POST-STERILIZATION SEX IMPROVES FOR SOME

Some women say their sex life took on a new life after they underwent tubal sterilization. The study appears in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. Researchers found most women indicated no change in either sexual interest (80 percent) or pleasure (81.7 percent) after sterilization. But those who did note a change were 10 to 15 times more likely to report increased -- rather than decreased -- sexual interest or pleasure. The reason may be the elimination of the fear of unwanted pregnancy or discontinuation of a method of birth control that had adverse effects, said Laura Leathers of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

BIKE HANDLEBARS MAY POSE THREAT

Researchers say bicycle handlebars may pose a health threat to children. They say in case of a crash, handlebars can cause abdominal or pelvic organ injuries and result in substantial health care costs. In bicycle crashes not involving motor vehicles, as many as 80 percent of internal organ injuries are related to handlebars, the study found. Requirements for safer handlebar designs may reduce injury risk, the authors said. The study is published in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. "In one year, more than 1,100 children in the United States suffered serious internal organ injuries due to bicycle crashes not involving motor vehicles," said lead study author Dr. Flaura Winston, director of TraumaLink, an interdisciplinary pediatric injury control research center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "The majority of these injuries, as many as 900, were due to handlebar impact." Abdominal, pelvic organ or other related injuries result in lengthy hospital stays, ranging from three to 47 days, the researchers found. Parents and caregivers lose work to care for a child recovering from serious injury. In extreme cases, children who are permanently disabled have reduced work capacity as adults, the researchers said. A retractable handlebar that absorbs the energy of the handlebar impact may be a solution, they said.

ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES NOT TO BLAME

Researchers say oral contraceptives cannot be blamed for young women gaining weight. The study by Pennsylvania State College of Medicine researchers appears in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. The long-term study shows use of the "pill" during adolescence is not associated with weight gain or increased body fat. "Until now, most of the major studies on the effects of oral contraceptive use have looked at women ages 20 and over," said Tom Lloyd, professor of health evaluation sciences and director of the Penn State Young Women's Health Study. "This study provides new information about the effects of oral contraceptive use on adolescents and young women." Oral contraceptives prevent pregnancy the same way in teens they do in adult women, said co-investigator Dr. Richard Legro, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology. "However, we know very little about how a teenager's metabolism may be affected by oral contraceptive use. Because young women's bodies change so much during adolescence, we felt it was important to understand whether using oral contraceptives during these developmental years causes metabolic and physiologic changes."

LOW-FAT DIET GOOD FOR FIDO, TOO

A 14-year study has found that dogs fed a reduced-calory diet live nearly two years longer than do dogs on unrestricted diets. Canines eating the low-fat fare were also slower to develop chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis, the researchers found. The findings add to the growing body of evidence that caloric restriction in a wide range of species significantly boosts longevity. Dogs are the only large mammals -- and the closest human relatives -- for which a diet-restriction study has been completed. Similar studies involving primates are ongoing. The results, from scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Nestle Purina PetCare Company, University of Illinois, Cornell University and Michigan State University, will be presented at a symposium in St. Louis. Partial results were published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

(EDITORS: For more information about SEX, call 770-488-5131; about BIKE, call 215-590-1417; about BLAME, call 717-531-8606; about FIDO, call 215-573-6604.)