Health - Sciencenorway.no

Same amount of long Covid symptoms following Omicron and Delta variants

New research shows that those who have been infected by the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus report long Covid just as often as those who were infected with the Delta virus.

Stroke symptoms in young women are different than in men

Women may have different stroke symptoms than men. They often do not have the classic symptoms such as slurred speech, difficulty smiling or lifting an arm. A lack of awareness can delay life-saving treatment.

4-day anxiety treatment receives research award

Researchers Gerd Kvale and Bjarne Hansen have received the innovation award from the Research Council of Norway for a four-day treatment program that has shown very good effects against severe anxiety disorders.

Those who always complain about being cold are actually colder

Some people complain that they are cold even in wool sweaters when others are comfortable in T-shirts. They're not kidding.

What happened to the stem cell treatment that was supposed to cure everything?

In the early 2000s, people had huge expectations that stem cell research would bring us wonderful new treatments for a range of diseases. So what happened?

How dangerous is it to give birth? There are big differences between European countries

Researchers have compared birth mothers in eight European countries. The risk of dying was lowest in Norway.

What is women's health and why is it important?

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: How should we understand the concept of women's health, and what does it mean to me as an obstetrician and researcher on women's health issues?

A cold house can be harmful to your health

More people die in the winter than during summer. The elderly should keep at least one room in their house at 24 degrees or warmer, professor advises.

It is not dangerous to get pregnant right after a miscarriage

Getting pregnant right after a miscarriage does not increase the risk of complications, a new Norwegian study establishes. The WHO should consider changing their recommendations, according to the researchers.

No one is dead until warm and dead

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Once your core temperature drops towards 30°C, your heart could stop beating – and by then it's usually game over.

The feeling of being worthless is the most important cause of depression, researchers say

Have you ever felt worthless? A large Norwegian study now points to this as perhaps the most important driver and cause of worsening depression.

Stroke patients with delirium may struggle more afterwards

OPINION: Stroke patients who experience delirium during a stroke could be more prone to developing cognitive and psychiatric difficulties.

Here’s how you can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer

“Even if you are middle-aged, you still have time to change your lifestyle and improve it,” says Edoardo Botteri from the Cancer Registry of Norway.

This is why we forget names

And this is what you can do to remember them.

Big survey on cheating: Who cheats the most, and why do they do it?

Some cheat more on their partners than others, according to a large Norwegian survey.

Women are happy with the results of reconstructive clitoral surgery, so why are doctors still sceptical?

Reconstructive clitoral surgery is not available in Norway. In Sweden, on the other hand, the surgery is legal, but healthcare personnel are unsure whether it works. Neneh Bojang had to travel from Norway to France to receive treatment.

Only Norway and Denmark avoided increased mortality during the pandemic

The Covid-19 crisis led to a reduction in life expectancy that rich countries have not experienced since the war.

Do women really have a better vocabulary than men?

Are women better at remembering words than men? Researchers in Bergen have now carried out a thorough review of studies on the topic.

Undetected atrial fibrillation was the cause of many strokes. Nine out of ten had no symptoms

A Norwegian-led study found that atrial fibrillation was the hidden cause of stroke in many patients. Long-term heart rhythm monitoring of patients can prevent recurrent strokes in this group.

No simple link between dairy products and heart disease

People who drank a lot of milk had a greater risk of heart attack and death than those who didn’t. But people who ate a lot of cheese had a lower risk, a new Norwegian study shows.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) may benefit children and young adults with cancer

OPINION: Alternative medicine such as acupuncture, hypnosis and herbs and supplements have proved to be a relief against side effects from conventional cancer treatment, according to researcher Trine Stub.

More Norwegians now die from pharmaceutical opioid overdoses than from heroin overdoses

More people now die from overdoses of strong painkillers with opioids than overdoses of heroine, according to a study from the Norwegian institute of public health.

Highly educated people drink alcohol more often than those with less education

The oldest and the most highly educated drink the most, according to new survey.

Brains of schizophrenia and bipolar patients are older than their age would suggest

A new research method shows that the connection between mental illness and poor brain health is stronger than researchers were aware of.

Now researchers know how the sickest COVID-19 patients have fared

They have good news for COVID patients who ended up in a coma and on a ventilator in Norwegian intensive care units.

How can we know if food additives are safe?

The food authorities tell us that the additives in our food are harmless. Yet, an additive was recently banned after a long period of use. How can that be?

Slightly fewer students report having mental health problems

35 per cent of Norwegian students respond that they struggle mentally, but their physical health is better, according to this year's health and well-being survey.

Does a C-section or vaginal delivery affect women's sex lives more?

Researchers were pleasantly surprised by how little giving birth vaginally affected women’s sex life. “This study can dispel myths,” sexologist Bente Træen says.

Which smokers and ex-smokers are at greatest risk for lung cancer?

Researchers at NTNU are developing a new method for more accurately calculating the individual risk of lung cancer in smokers. A number of risk genes are baked into the model.

A blood test that reveals whether we are at risk of dementia is just around the corner

But it may take several years before a medicine to treat the disease is available. “We are in an ethically difficult time now,” researchers say.

When’s the best time to find out that you will get dementia?

“Many of the first symptoms of dementia can be difficult to distinguish from normal ageing. That’s probably one of the reasons why people are uncertain as to whether they should contact their doctor with their problems,” says one researcher.

Half of young women struggle with headaches or migraines

Half of women between the ages of 16 and 24 say they suffer from headaches or migraines. This is a significant increase from the 30 per cent who answered the same in 2002.

Discovery of plant toxins in 13 herbal tea products

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority recommends drinking less herbal tea after detecting natural plant toxins in 13 different herbal tea products.

Large Norwegian study reveals celiac disease in many people who were unaware they had it

Researcher who led the study found it surprising that so many people were undiagnosed.

Why do we have wisdom teeth?

Something happened to our jawbones after the agricultural revolution 10 000 years ago.

More than half of women with type 1 diabetes experience sexual dysfunction

Men with type 1 diabetes are routinely asked about their sexual health – women are not. This needs to change, Norwegian researchers say.

Increased use and stronger cannabis throws more people into psychoses

The number of psychoses triggered by cannabis has increased significantly in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Vegetarians had lower risk of heart disease

People who avoided meat and fish had a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases like angina and heart attacks.

New Norwegian study: Cod liver oil does not protect against Covid-19

Taking cod liver oil with vitamin D does not protect against getting infected with the coronavirus, becoming seriously ill with Covid, or other respiratory infections.

They said lab-grown meat was the future. So how come it's still not on our dinner tables?

Billions of dollars have been invested in cultured meat, but to date no one has been able to cultivate it in large enough quantities. Now Norwegian researchers will try their hand.

Long Covid: 46 per cent of Covid infected people in a Norwegian study report long-term effects

The study also finds that the symptoms can worsen over time.

The Norwegian Consumer Council warns that Norwegian DNA is being sent to China

An increasing number of pregnant Norwegian women take extended foetal diagnostic tests in Denmark. One of the tests is analysed in China, and DNA from both the mother and foetus may end up with the Chinese authorities.

One in four children between the ages of 10 and 12 use painkillers weekly

As many as 29 per cent of girls in the 7th grade in Norway use painkillers every week. Researchers are surprised by the high figures.

New test method for prostate cancer lowers the risk of infection – making antibiotics unnecessary

Men who are examined for possible prostate cancer run a high risk of infections. A new way of taking tissue samples via the skin can make the use of antibiotics redundant, a Norwegian study shows.

Squirting orgasms give women a sense of both pride and shame

A Swedish researcher has spoken to women who squirt. There are those who are ashamed, whilst others are envious of their ability to squirt.

This is how great the risk of infection from ticks is

Researchers find the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in as few as 0.3 per cent of the ticks they examine. The Borrelia bacteria can be carried by up to 25 per cent of ticks.

Visual impairments after a stroke can be revealed using a new method

Charting patients' visual impairments after a stroke is important to avoid misinterpretations of other functions.

Sex becomes easier and better with lube

Research on lubricants shows that the vast majority of people are more satisfied with intercourse when they use a lubricant.

Can't drink hot coffee? Then you have cat tongue

In Japan, this is a very common phenomenon. In Norway, we have no word for it.

What time of day is the best time to exercise?

Working out during the morning or in the evening can have quite different benefits, a new study shows.

Ten per cent of the population in Norway may have chronic kidney disease

Researchers believe that the majority of those with the disease in Norway remain undiagnosed.

Positive vaccine news following Norway's first omicron outbreak

The Covid vaccine protects against serious symptoms from omicron infection, even when the vaccine antibodies are no longer effective.

More men committed suicide last year in Norway

A total of 482 men died by suicide last year. Statistics show that not since the 1990s have so many men taken their own lives.

Both animals and humans yawn. Why do we yawn and why is it contagious?

It's not because we need more oxygen to the brain.

Are you a little older but can pass this balancing test? Then you have a good chance of living longer

“Good balance indicates that you have good health,” explains professor Linda Hildegard Bergersen.

Sharp increase in eating disorders in young girls during the pandemic

The proportion of girls with eating disorders has risen sharply during the pandemic, according to a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH).

“The feeling of regret is there for a reason”

Is regret a completely useless feeling, or can we actually learn from the things we regret we have – or have not – done?

For a long time, women have lived much longer than men in Norway. Now men are catching up

Norwegian men are finally catching up on life expectancy.

Most Norwegians are overweight or obese

This is according to new numbers from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). The trend has been increasing for decades.

This is how you can prevent food allergies in your children

Infants who received small portions of peanuts, milk, wheat and eggs from the age of three months had a lower risk of developing a food allergy when they were three years old compared to a control group.

Passion fruit may slow down Alzheimer's

Passion fruit can reduce memory loss and slow down disease development in Alzheimer animal models, a new Norwegian study finds.

Children who are exclusively breastfed lack iodine

Three-month-old babies who are exclusively breastfed have too little iodine, a new study shows.

This optical illusion makes people feel like they're falling into a black hole

80 per cent of participants in a study experienced this phenomenon. Researchers believe that the illusion is a useful misinterpretation.

E-cigarettes can be harmful to your health

E-cigarettes containing nicotine can have harmful effects on the health of the user, a new report from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) finds.

Herring roe will be used in medicine to treat psoriasis

Medicines are not just chemistry - many come from animals and plants.

Why do so many people have chronic fatigue

In numerous diseases, such as celiac disease and psoriasis, chronic fatigue is actually the biggest problem. But what actually causes it? Professor Roald Omdal believes the fatigue response is an ancient biological protection mechanism.

Too much espresso increases cholesterol - especially if you are a man

If you average more than two espressos a day, you might want to start thinking about filtered options, say the researchers behind a new study.

Patients are being forced to take regular breaks from effective migraine medicine. But how do these expensive injections really work?

Forty years ago, researchers discovered a protein that dilated blood vessels in the brain. It led to a whole new type of migraine medicine.

Norwegian health director to parents: “Do not use a screen as a babysitter”