Teenagers are often more prone to experiencing signs and symptoms of depression, and the use of anti-depressants in this particular population has been the subject of much debate and study.

And while several drugs on the market are used to treat teens with depression, a study done in the early 00′s led to increased concern that the drugs enhanced the possibility of suicidal ideation or suicidal thoughts. That in turn led to a high-level “black box” warning issued by the Food Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004 when concerns about the link between depression drugs in teens and suicide risk was probed.

However, subsequent clinical research has failed to replicate the study’s results, and more recent controlled studies contrasting certain depression medications with placebos showed no increased suicide risk with the former over the latter. According to rxDaily, Robert Gibbons, PhD, of the University of Chicago Medicine recently headed up a new analysis of 41 studies that encompassed more than 9,000 people and found no increased risk of suicide in young people medicated with common anti-depressants versus placebos. Gibbons explains:

“The key finding here, when we re-analyze all the patient-level longitudinal records in these studies, is that antidepressants neither increase nor decrease suicidal thoughts or behavior in children… Maybe children think about suicide in part because of depression, but also maybe due to other reasons not related to depression that are not affected by antidepressants.”

Gibbons also surmises that the risk of suicide may be due to depression itself more commonly, and not the drugs used to treat the depression:

“Basically, the results say that the mechanism by which the antidepressants affect suicide rates is by decreasing depression. It follows that if a treatment is not working for an individual, the risk for suicidal behavior and perhaps worse remains high.”

Gibbons’ team’s analysis was published in the February 2012 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Depression Drug, Suicide Link Reexamined is a post from: The Inquisitr

British scientists believe they may be able to help people suffering from depression by providing them with “magic mushrooms.” The naturally grown psychedelic drug is at the center of two separate studies in which psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, has shown to suppress activity in areas of the brain that are often slowed with other anti-depressant treatments.

Speaking to Reuters researcher David Nutt of Imperial College London

“Psychedelics are thought of as ‘mind-expanding’ drugs so it has commonly been assumed that they work by increasing brain activity. But, surprisingly, we found that psilocybin actually caused activity to decrease in areas that have the densest connections with other areas.”

The “hub” regions of the brain have been shown to play a role in constraining our experience of the world thus helping keeping it orderly. When deactivated the world was viewed as “strange” by study participants.

To examine the effects of psilocybin 30 volunteers were given the drug through a blood infusion and then placed through an MRI to measure brain activity. The results showed a decrease in “hub” regions and many volunteers described a feeling of feeling “loosened” and their sense of self being altered.

Another study published in the  British Journal of Psychiatry on Thursday found that 10 volunteers had experienced an enhanced recollection of personal memories.

At this time researcher is still considered to be in the fundamental stages with only a “fundamental impact” being shown on the brain in the short term at this time.

Would you be willing to take a “magic mushroom” based drug to help deal with depression?

‘Magic Mushrooms’ Could Lead The Way Towards Better Depression Treatments [Study] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Grieving the loss of a friend, family or loved one may soon be considered a form of depression. While many doctors acknowledge that grief is a very normal part of losing someone close to us, they also acknowledge that it’s important to deal with that grief.

Speaking to the New York Times one doctor explains why turning grief into a depression diagnosis could end up hurting those people suffering from some for of grief.

“This would pathologize them for behavior previously thought to be normal.” says one doctor.

Opponents to the diagnosis also say to could lead many people with short term grief receiving drug treatments that would normally be unnecessary outside of depression symptoms.

Supporters of the bill say it’s not about misdiagnosing patients but rather helping those people who’s grief has become debilitating. In those cases doctors argue that many grief stricken people don’t get help because they are told their extreme cases of grief are “normal” and therefore require no treatment.

Under the current definition/criteria for depress doctors have listed such cases as sleep loss, loss of concentration and other signs, however grieving was never included.

If approved the new diagnosis would appears in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Also under consideration would be a tightening of the definition of Autism, a disorder many doctors now believe may be prescribed too often for children who are just socially awkward or still developing but at a slower pace then peers of the same age.

Do you think the act of grieving should be diagnosed as a form of depression or have doctors taken the definition too far outside of it’s original diagnosis?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Grieving May Soon Be Classified As Form Of Depression is a post from: The Inquisitr

Feeling a little down today? It might have to do with the fact that today is Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year.

The third Monday of January is generally regarded as the saddest day of the year. The Christmas buzz is off, New Year’s resolutions are starting to fail, and the New Orleans Saints are out of the NFL playoffs. Add all of that on top of a few weeks of miserable weather and it’s easy to see why today is considered Blue Monday.

But the Daily Mail isn’t buying into the “junk science” of blue Monday. The Daily Mail report that psychologist Cliff Arnall invented the day in 2005 as part of a marketing campaign for a travel company.

Arnall admitted to the Guardian that the day is meaningless, but refused to admit that the science behind the idea was wrong. The pseudo-scientists claims that if you add in the economic situation you could consider today Red Monday, the saddest day in history. Arnall said:

“It is the combination of factors that make life right now particularly uncertain. There is threat of job redundancy and the cost of food and fuel are going up.”

What do you think? Is today the saddest day of the year? Or is Blue Monday just a marketing ploy to get people to buy airline tickets? In either case, here’s Fats Domino’s Blue Monday to cheer you up.

Blue Monday: Today is the Most Depressing Day of the Year… Maybe is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sinead O’Connor has had a bit of a wild ride the last month or two.  She has gotten married, then split up two weeks later, then reconciled, then tried to commit suicide, than sought help and is now splitting up with her husband again.

In a statement she put on her webpage she blamed herself and the Irish media for the split.

She said,

“Certain sections of our media are pure evil. These people, along with others caused enormous damage deliberately and maliciously to my innocent flower of a husband, purely because he was with me. And so his association with me became something very bad for his life. And slowly since we were married I became very ill as result of what was done to my husband and I was unable to cope. I will never again associate myself romantically with anyone as I could not bear to see these things done again to someone I love.”

On January 11th, O’Connor, tweeted to her fans that she was suffering from Bi-polar disorder and needed to see a psychiatrist writing:

“i desperately need to get back on meds today. am in serious danger,”

She abruptly changed her tune in the most recent statement on her webpage where she says she is not really in need of medications but the problems she had with her marriage were what spawned the depression.

“I am now temporarily back on meds but am assured by psychiatrist I am not bi polar and do not need to be on meds for longer than a few months just to lift me out of what depths I was dragged down to since the mis- treatment of my husband and therefore destruction of our marriage began. So I will be fine again within days.”

Do you think the problem is her marriage or that Sinead O’Connor is just crazy?

Sinead O’Connor Splits From Husband Again is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s been said that Vitamin D and its overall repercussions for health are a bit trendy right now, but a very large study- the largest of its kind- by psychiatrists at UT Southwestern Medical Center indicates that Vitamin D levels may have an effect on depression.

Major depressive disorder affects one in every 10 Americans, and the new study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, may help shed light on the link between Vitamin D and depression. The study included more than 12,000 patients and examined data gathered between 2006 and 2010. What it found was that higher Vitamin D levels were linked with a far smaller risk of symptoms of depression, and that was true even among those who had a prior history of depression.

Dr. E. Sherwood Brown, was a senior author of the study and is a professor of psychiatry. He said that while the findings were “useful,” don’t go piling on the Vitamin D just yet:

“Our findings suggest that screening for vitamin D levels in depressed patients- and perhaps screening for depression in people with low vitamin D levels- might be useful. But we don’t have enough information yet to recommend going out and taking supplements.”

The study also noted that low Vitamin D levels correlated with increased risk of depression, particularly among people who had a previous history of depression. Although the study did not examine whether increasing levels of Vitamin D had an impact on symptoms of depression, it did suggest that checking levels of Vitamin D should be considered in those patients.

Depression and Vitamin D Levels Linked in Study is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sometimes, those little positive-thinking pic posts on Facebook and Tumblr can seem a bit much, particularly when you’re in a none-too-pleasant mood yourself.

But new research into depression seems to indicate that while the idea of puking rainbows when you’re bummed out isn’t always intuitive, it could be one of the ways forward out of a slump. A recent paper on the subject of the effect of ”positive activity interventions” on depression indicates that the simple action of helping someone- just a random stranger struggling with groceries or even tallying your reasons to be happy individually- can serve as an “effective, low-cost” way to battle depression.

Psychology professor at the University of California Riverside Sonja Lyubomirsky recently co-authored a paper on the topic, and Lyubomirsky concedes that the gestures or actions could seem a small thing- but often impact mood or feeling more than you might believe. She explains:

“They seem really trivial. They seem like, what’s the big deal, you feel good for 10 minutes. But for a depressed person, they aren’t trivial at all. Depressed individuals need to increase positive emotions in their life, even a minute here and there.”

Lyubomirsky points to the absence of positive emotions- the emptiness, nothing or ennui associated with many instances of depression- as the reason why even small-seeming gestures could impact an individual’s level of happiness. She says:

“The major aspect is the positive emotion. The most significant feature of depression is the absence of positive emotion- just a feeling of nothing, of emptiness… You might be more approachable to others, or be more creative and imaginative. It snowballs, and you are more likely to experience even more positive emotion.”

According to the study, an estimated 100 million people worldwide struggle with depression. 70% of cases of depression are either undertreated or go entirely untreated, the study reports.

Depression Can Be Alleviated By Good Works For Others, Research Discovers is a post from: The Inquisitr

Prescription drug trends have been revealed that, while perhaps sobering, may not exactly be shocking to many Americans.

Use of psychiatric medications like antidepressants has skyrocketed in the past few years, with about one in five Americans reporting having used medications to treat a mental disorder. The study, done by pharmacy benefit manager Medco, included 2.5 million insured Americans from 2001 to 2010. Results indicated that 25% of women polled reported using such pharmaceuticals, with 20% of those relying on antidepressants.

More alarmingly, the rate of children on antipsychotic medications has increased sharply- use of the drugs, used to treat the most severe psychiatric conditions, doubled between 2001 and 2010, the study revealed. Use of ADHD medications among adult women was 2.5 times higher in 2010 than it was in 2001, and there was a large uptick in the use of “anti-anxiety medications, atypical antipsychotics and drugs to treat ADHD” in adults aged 20 to 44.

Researchers made some suggestions as to why mental health medications have become so heavily relied upon in the United States:

Said Dr. David Muzino of the Medco Neuroscience Therapeutic Research Center: “[W]hat is not clear is if more people — especially women — are actually developing psychological disorders that require treatment, or if they are more willing to seek out help and clinicians are better at diagnosing these conditions than they once were.”

But, he noted, it was a tough decade: the 9/11 attacks, two wars and a deep recession.

Determining the reasons behind the dramatic shift toward the use of drugs to treat mental health issues is the “next critical step” in research, scientists indicate.

Antidepressants or Other Mental Health Drugs Used By 1 in 5 Americans is a post from: The Inquisitr

An analysis of 17 different depression and stroke studies led researchers this week to propose a link between the psychological disorder and an increased risk of stroke.

At this time researchers involved in the analysis are not sure in stroke risks are linked directly to depression or if they share an underlying cause.

A second study conducted by Dr. Li-Qiang Qin at Soochow University in China recently also compiled information from 17 studies and more than 200,000 participants and then looked for depression and stroke symptoms in patients, they then compared those individuals with patients who did not demonstrate signs of a mood disorder.

The long-term study examined people who had not yet had a stroke and then followed them over a period of three to 29 years.

In two of the compiled studies researchers found that depression lowered the risk of  a stroke, while two study’s found no difference between depression and non-depression patients. However in the remaining 13 studies people with depression were shown to have a higher risk of stroke. When all 17 studies were combined the risk of stroke increased by 34 percent for patients with depression.

With 26 out of every 10,000  people in America suffering a stroke each year (800,000 Americans) strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Furthering the study’s validity was another research project earlier in the year which polled together 28 projects while also finding that an increase in stroke occurred when depression was present.

[image via Shutterstock]

Depression Linked To Increase Chance Of Stroke is a post from: The Inquisitr

No similar link was found between exposure to the chemical at the same “higher” levels by boys and the behavioral problems, which include anxiety and hyperactivity. BPA is used in making plastics, and is found in some food packaging and canned goods. The study was centered near Cincinnati and involved nearly 250 pregnant women. Urine samples were taken twice during the pregnancy, and then again immediately after the babies were born. Researchers tested for BPA concentration in the samples, and then retested the children yearly to determine levels.

BPA was present in the urine of almost all the women who participated in the study, with concentrations averaging 2 micrograms a liter. For every tenfold increase in BPA levels, researchers observed a corresponding spike in levels of anxiety, diminished emotional control and hyperactivity.

After that, the researchers measured BPA levels in the children each year. At age three, parents filled out a survey on kids’ anxiety, depression, aggression and hyperactivity, as well as any behavioral problems or trouble controlling their emotions. Race, income, marital status and education level for mothers was accounted for in the study.

Study author Joe Braun of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston said of the group:

“The vast majority of our children were typically-developing children and didn’t meet any clinical criteria for behavioral problems.”

Future studies are planned to explore the link between BPA and behavioral problems in girls.

BPA Linked With Behavioral Problems in Girls is a post from: The Inquisitr

The current state of the global economy points clearly to a second depression, but billionaire George Soros says that we can avoid another “great depression” if we follow three steps.

According to Forbes, the economic situation in Europe could lead to a depression around the globe. Both America and China are dependent on exporting goods to Europe. If Greece defaults and the purchase power of Europe drops, the effects could hit the United States hard.

Soros writes at the Financial Times:

“Three bold steps are needed. First, the governments of the eurozone must agree in principle on a new treaty creating a common treasury for the eurozone. In the meantime, the major banks must be put under the direction of the European Central Bank in exchange for a temporary guarantee and permanent recapitalization. Third, the ECB would enable countries such as Italy and Spain temporarily to refinance their debt at a very low cost.”

According to Soros, these three steps would not solve the global economy, but they would “calm the markets” and give Europe some time to solve the debt problem. Soros writes that we’ve been “kicking the can down the road” for a long time now, and we are finally out of road.

I believe that these steps would bring the acute phase of the euro crisis to an end by staunching its two main sources (weak banks and vulnerable sovereigns) and reassuring the markets that a longer-term solution is in sight.”

What do you think of Soros plan? Is another depression avoidable?

George Soros Gives Three Steps to Avoid Second Depression is a post from: The Inquisitr

Stopping at Starbucks before heading into the office might actually be helping some women stave off depression. A new study has discovered that drinking two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day makes a female 15% less likely to suffer from depression while 4 cup a day drinkers are 20% less likely to suffer from depression.

The study, conducted at Harvard University examined the lifestyle drinking choices of more than 50,000 US nurses over a 24-year period and is considered the largest of its kind.

The study closely resembles another research project that showed how moderate coffee drinkers are less likely to commit suicide.

The positive effects of coffee have been known for quite some time and include a possible reduction in prostate cancer, breast cancer and stroke.

Since the new study only includes a study of actively working nurses some skeptics argue that the type of job and lifestyles lived by nurses may have played a role in their reduced cases of depression when mixed with caffeinated coffee.

The study also suggests that men may also benefit from drinking a few cups of joe each day.

Do you feel like a happier person when you’ve had a few cups of coffee to start your day?

Coffee As Depression Drug? Study Shows Benefit To Women Drinkers is a post from: The Inquisitr

In distinctly depressing news, it’s been confirmed those suffering from depression are more likely to suffer a stroke than a mentally healthy individual. Around 4% of the estimated 795,000 strokes that occur in the U.S. each year put down to depression. Not only that, but depressed individuals are more likely to have strokes that are fatal.

That’s according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Depression is still a pretty small issue when compared with conditions such as high blood pressure, but it’s a factor. Here’s what says An Pan, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and a Harvard research fellow, has to say:

“If you have depression but no other health issues, you probably don’t have to pay too much attention to stroke risk. But if you are depressed and are also obese, or have hypertension or…unhealthy lifestyle factors, your risk is going to increase dramatically.”

This is the latest of many studies to link depression to chronic disease and physical health issues, including diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. But until now, a link between depression and strokes was not recognized. Says Pan:

“We also knew that depression can occur after patients suffer a stroke. We just didn’t have strong enough evidence to know if the reverse was true, or what really comes first.”

There are other factors that are trickier to measure however, as Norman Rosenthal, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, pointed out to CNN.

Rosenthal notes those afflicted by depression are more likely to neglect taking medication for other stroke-related conditions. He also states depression can increase the production of stress hormones in the body, triggering inflammation in blood vessels.

“Little things, like keeping up good dental hygiene or socializing with friends, all affect inflammation levels – and these are things that a depressed person is less likely to do,” adds Rosenthal.

Depression Increases Risk of Strokes [Study] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Depression will often manifest in ways that can conceal a crushing chemical imbalance in the brain as difficulty coping with life, job stress, relationship anxiety or other common life stressors- stressors which often bring on or exacerbate a bout of depression.

A new study reports that patients may be reluctant to treat the condition as well, hiding symptoms when talking to doctors- mainly out of fear of being prescribed an antidepressant. The study encompassed a pool of 1,000 adults in California- 43% of which reported a hesitancy to report symptoms of depression to their primary care physician.

While it seems the study’s results might be something doctors and psychiatric professionals are aware of, the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University Medical Center’s Dr. David Hellerstein says that the research raises “interesting issues that have not really been addressed before.” Previous studies have centered largely on doctors and their tendency to probe patients for antidepressant needs, and professionals believe the new information can be helpful in clueing doctors in to patient attitudes about antidepressants.

Twenty-three percent of those surveyed indicated concern that their doctor would prescribe an antidepressant, while another 16 percent believed their PCP should not have to “deal with emotional issues.” Some participants confessed a fear that a third party, such as their workplace, could be made aware of the diagnosis.

Nearly 60% of patients who are placed on an antidepressant report rapid ease of symptoms, and researchers also discovered that the participants experiencing moderate to severe depression were most likely to be reluctant to seek treatment. Researchers wrote:

“Ironically…those who most subscribed to potential reasons for not talking to a primary care physician about their depression tended to be those who had the greatest potential to benefit from such conversations.”

Antidepressants and Fear: Reluctance Hampering Treatment, Docs Say is a post from: The Inquisitr

A three-year, 30-country study has found that 38% of Europe’s nearly 165 million citizens suffer from some type of mental illness.

According to the study the main illnesses include depression, anxiety, dementia, insomnia and other mental and neurological issues that cost Europeans hundreds of billions of euros each year to treat.

According to one of the studies authors:

“Mental disorders have become Europe’s largest health challenge of the 21st century.”

Over the three-year period the study examined 100 mental illnesses and disorders and it found that the four most serious issues include depression, dementia, alcohol dependence and stroke.

One doctor involved in the study told Reuters:

“If you can get in early you may be able to change the trajectory of the illness so that it isn’t inevitable that people go into disability,” while they went on to add, “If we really want not to be left with this huge reservoir of mental and brain illness for the next few centuries, then we ought to be investing more now.”

Mental illness is an increasingly diagnosed problem in countries around the world and much like Europe the cost of treating such illnesses in North America, Asian countries and other areas has continued to increase.

Do you know someone who suffers from a mental illness? If you live in Europe there’s a one in three chance that someone in your very own family suffers from some type of mental disorder.

38% Of Europeans Are Mentally Ill [Research Study] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Oscar De La Hoya may have a “golden boy” image, but the former boxing champion admitted in a TV interview recently that he suffered from addiction, was unfaithful to his wife, and recently considered suicide.

De La Hoya, who was interviewed on the Spanish-language network Univision, said:

“Rock bottom was recently. Within couple of years, just thinking if my life was even worth it. I don’t have the strength, I don’t have the courage to take my own life but I was thinking about it.”

De La Hoya retired in 2009 after 16-years in the ring. In his last match, he lost badly to Manny Pacquiao. De La Hoya said that after his fighting days were over, he began to rely more heavily on drugs and alcohol.

De La Hoya said:

“There were drugs, my drug of choice was cocaine and alcohol. Cocaine was recent. The last 2 years I depended more on the alcohol than the cocaine. It took me to a place where I felt safe, it took me to a place where I felt as if nobody can say anything to me.”

According to the Associated Press, De La Hoya has been sober for three months now. The former champ has been undergoing treatment and recently joined Alcoholics Anonymous.

De La Hoya also admitted in the interview that he was unfaithful to his wife, but not to the degree of other sport icons.

“We are obviously not talking a Tiger Woods here, but I was unfaithful.”

Oscar De La Hoya won ten world titles in 6 different divisions. He also won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics Games.

De La Hoya didn’t say what triggered his depression, but there have been numerous studies that have linked head trauma to anger and depression. Was De La Hoya beaten into addiction? Or as the New York Post puts it, is Oscar De La Hoya the only person to blame?

Oscar De La Hoya Says Drinking, Drugs, and Womanizing Nearly Led to Suicide is a post from: The Inquisitr

Well, what do you know? You all really do have first world problems.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has measured data on depression, comparing countries to determine their rates of depression diagnoses. The study spanned nearly 90,000 people in 18 countries, and was published in the journal BMC Medicine. What it found was that individuals in France were most likely to report an episode of depression in their lifetime, at 21% of those surveyed.

The US was next up among countries suffering existential ennui, at 19.2% of those surveyed. Overall, people from richer countries were more likely to report having been depressed in their lifetimes at a cumulative 15%, versus 11% in countries that were classed as low-income.

Study co-author Ronald Kessler, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, commented on the results of the study:

“There are a lot of people in the US who say they aren’t satisfied with their lives. US expectations know no bounds and people in other countries are just happy to have a meal on the table.”

The study found that depression was the third most common cause of reduced workplace productivity, and that women were twice as likely as men to report episodes of depression. Perhaps unsurprisingly, divorce or separation was cited as the most likely trigger for a depressive episode.

Depression Rates Higher in Wealthier Countries is a post from: The Inquisitr

St. Jude Medical got the go-ahead earlier this week to open the study of a new depression treatment from three to 20 locations in the US.

St. Jude Medical has created a device called the Libra, a pacemaker-like device that is “implanted under the skin of the chest and then connected to electrodes in the brain,” emitting signals to “the deep brain.” The Food Drug Administration has allowed 125 patients at the 20 locations to receive the device.

In order to participate in the study, subjects need to have been diagnosed with severe depression and been found to be resistant to at least four types of treatment during their current episode of depression. Patients also need to be between 21 and 70 years old, but must have experienced their first depressive episode by the age of 45.

The study’s expansion moves it beyond the original cities of Chicago, Dallas and New York, and St. Jude will eventually request to include 231 patients in the study. In the pilot study, 62 percent of patients show a decrease in depression of 40 percent or more, and 92 percent of those patients maintained improvement at a follow-up visit.

New Depression Treatment Implant Trial Given FDA Okay is a post from: The Inquisitr

Pollution is known to be a significant risk factor when it comes to human health, and a new study has found that the environmental factor could increase risk of depression and brain damage.

A new study out of Ohio State University exposed mice to simulated pollution similar to that “created by cars, factories and natural dust” over time and measured the effects of the pollutants on brain function. Doctoral student Laura Fonken and her colleagues exposed the animals to the polluted air for six hours a day, five days a week. (A control group received filtered air.) The study lasted for half their life span, or 10 months.

At the end of the study, the mice were subjected to testing to determine how their reasoning abilities were impacted:

[The mice were given a] learning and memory test where after five days of training they were placed on a brightly lit area and given two minutes to find the dark escape hole where they would be more comfortable. The mice who breathed the polluted air took longer to learn where the escape hole was and at later tests they were more likely to forget where it was.

In another experiment, mice exposed to the polluted air showed more depressive-like and higher levels of anxiety-like behaviours in one test, but not in another.

Fonken theorized long-term exposure to inflammation could damage the hippocampus, causing the symptoms in the mice.

[Study] Pollution May Lead to Depression, Brain Damage is a post from: The Inquisitr

A study on the effects of drugs to treat depression accidentally yielded some insight into why those who quit smoking may put on weight during and after the quitting process.

Associate research scientist at Yale, Yann Maneur, says during a study on laboratory animals at the university, it became apparent some of the subjects began to eat less than they had been. Maneur explains:

We found that nicotine, when it enters the brain, activates specific nicotine receptors that are located on specific neurons known to decrease feeding and increase energy expenditure when activated.”

Essentially, CBS News points out, nicotine triggers a brain pathway that signals “you’ve had enough, put that cake down.” Then it prompts your body to use energy. But Maneur adds the study is not meant to advocate smoking, “of course.” Maneur did not say whether nicotine replacement therapies or devices such as the electronic cigarette (or e-cigarette) would provide the same weight gain inhibition.

The study was reported in the journal Science.

Link Between Smoking Cessation, Weight Gain Partially Explained is a post from: The Inquisitr