Snapshots

Vibrator Usage is good!

You’ve always recognized the special value your vibrator brought to your life — now research confirms those benefits. According to a new study, women who use vibrators experience more positive sexual function in terms of desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasm. The Internet-based survey was completed by 2,056 women aged 18-60. Over half (52.5%) of the respondents reported that they used vibrators either alone or with a partner. The study indicated that vibrator use was also associated with health-promoting behaviors: vibrator users were significantly more likely to have had a gynecological exam in the previous year and to have looked closely at their genitals in the previous month. Vibrator use was rarely associated with side effects. A companion study among 18-60-year-old men indicated that 45% of men also use vibrators. Journal of Sexual Medicine, June 2009

FULL CITE - Debra Herbenick, Michael Reece, Stephanie Sanders, Brian Dodge, Annahita Ghassemi, J. Dennis Fortenberry, “Prevalence and Characteristics of Vibrator Use by Women in the United States: Results from a Nationally Representative Study,” Journal of Sexual Medicine 2009; 6(7): 1857-1866.

Excercise lowers LDL Cholesterol

Exercising just one extra hour a week is extremely beneficial in lowering women’s LDL cholesterol (the unhealthy kind), especially black women. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study analyzed associations between increasing one’s physical activity by an hour and levels of HDL (the healthy cholesterol), LDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. The study examined 9 years of longitudinal data on 8,764 men and women aged 45-64. The study included large numbers of African American as well as White participants. Based on Body Mass Index (BMI), the typical participant was in the “overweight” range and the typical African American female participant was in the “obese” range. One additional hour of moderate exercise, or a half-hour of vigorous activity, lowered White women’s LDL cholesterol by almost 4 milligrams per deciliter, and lowered African American women’s LDL by 10.5 milligrams. Results were greatest for post-menopausal women, among whom exercise reduced White women’s LDL by 6 milligrams, and African American women’s by 15 milligrams. Journal of Lipid Research, August 2009

FULL CITE - Monda K L, Ballantyne C M, North K E, “Longitudinal impact of physical activity on lipid profiles in middle-aged adults: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study,” Journal of Lipid Research 2009; 50: 1685-1691.

Breastfeeding helps lower cancer risk

New research suggests that women with a family history of breast cancer can improve their chances of avoiding the disease by breastfeeding. The study found a 59% reduction in breast cancer risk among women who breastfed and who also had a family history of the disease, compared to women with a family history of breast cancer who did not breastfeed. Among women without a family history of breast cancer, no variations were seen between women who did and did not breastfeed. Researchers noted that this level of risk reduction compares favorably with the preventive use of tamoxifen, currently used for women considered to be high-risk for breast cancer. Data were drawn from a subset of the long-term Nurses Health Study II, which began following 116,608 25-42-year-old nurses in 1989. Of the 60,075 women in the subset, all had had at least one child, 87% had breastfed, and all were pre-menopausal. No correlation was found between the length and/or intensity of breastfeeding and cancer incidence. Because 90% of the Nurse’s Health Study participants are White, it is unclear to what extent these results apply to women of color. Archives of Internal Medicine, August 2009

FULL CITE - Stuebe A M, Willett W C, Xue F et al., “Lactation and incidence of premenopausal breast cancer: a longitudinal study,” Archives of Internal Medicine 2009; 169(15):1364-1371.